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Three Different Types Of Hiv / Aids Stigma
Three Different Types Of Hiv / Aids Stigma
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There are many ethical and legal issues regarding the disclosure of HIV status in Australia, specifically before engagement in a sexual relationship. These issues are investigated in a variety of articles and reports, including “The paradox of public HIV disclosure” (Paxton, 2002), which analyses the multifaceted benefits of disclosure in relation to social, psychological and physical health. Incongruently, alternate articles such as, “Disclosure of HIV-positive status among people from minority ethnic communities in Sydney” (Korner, 2007), assess the social risks for those who disclose their HIV status, investigating the negative impact disclosure may have on an individual’s health. Additionally, “The problem with Section 79: the call to amend HIV disclosure laws in NSW” (Harlum, 2016) and “Should it be illegal for HIV-positive persons to have unprotected sex without disclosure?” (Horvath, 2010) examine the legal aspects of HIV disclosure through a thorough evaluation of the laws regarding it, while assessing the outcome of the implementation of these laws. Although it is acknowledged that the social stigma surrounding HIV causes substantial social risks for those who disclose their HIV status, the benefits of disclosure must also be considered in order to determine whether or not laws should be put in place to make disclosure a requirement prior to engagement in a sexual relationship. This essay argues that there is an insignificant need for laws regarding disclosure of HIV status to sexual partners.
Disclosure of HIV status has various benefits. This is particularly clear in a study “The paradox of public HIV disclosure” (Paxton, 2002), which recognises the benefits of disclosing HIV status, not only prior to sex, but publicl...
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...s been made evident that disclosure can cause loss of employment, the breakdown of relationships and families as well as rejection from sexual partners. Consequently, those who suffer from the issues that come with disclosure also suffer from poor mental health and low self-esteem. Additionally, the article also states that, “leading a double life is psychologically disturbing” positing the unseemly notion that experiencing discrimination due to HIV status is not harmful to an individual’s mental health, despite copious evidence that it has an extremely detrimental affect on mental health, and in some cases, physical health.
Various articles examining the ethical and legal issues surrounding the disclosure of HIV status prior to sexual relationships make evident that the disadvantages of disclosure outweigh the benefits, making clear that disclosure is unnecessary.
According to Pennsylvania law, “Disclosure of HIV status is a defense against persecution for sero-discordant sexual activity under the Reckless Endangerment statute” (AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, 2012, p. 2).... ... middle of paper ... ... In P. Beemsterboer, Ethics and Law in Dental Hygiene (pp. 1).
In certain countries such as the U.S, people discriminate against others to a certain extent based off their gender, race, and sexuality. Butler states that “to be a body is to be given over to others even as a body is “one own,” which we must claim right of autonomy” (242). Gays and Lesbians have to be exposed to the world because some of them try to hide their identity of who they truly are because they are afraid of how others are going to look at them. There are some who just let their sexuality out in the open because they feel comfortable with whom they are as human beings and they don’t feel any different than the next person. The gender or sexuality of a human being doesn’t matter because our bodies’ will never be autonomous because it is affected by others around us. This is where humans are vulnerability to violence and aggression. In countries across the globe, violence and attack are drawn towards tran...
... so many lives are suppressed, depressed and carry the plague of a negative stigma. Suppressed feelings, self esteem, and personal sexual choice is hindered by the norms and expectations of our society.
Andrew Sullivan, author of, What is a Homosexual, portrays his experience growing up; trapped in his own identity. He paints a detailed portrait of the hardships caused by being homosexual. He explains the struggle of self-concealment, and how doing so is vital for social acceptation. The ability to hide one’s true feelings make it easier to be “invisible” as Sullivan puts it. “The experience of growing up profoundly different in emotional and psychological makeup inevitably alters a person’s self-perception.”(Sullivan)This statement marks one of the many reasons for this concealment. The main idea of this passage is to reflect on those hardships, and too understand true self-conscious difference. Being different can cause identity problems, especially in adolescents.
The Modified Labelling Theory, created by Link et al., (1989) hypothesized that individuals who were labeled as mentally ill, would manage the stigma they faced through three coping mechanisms; education, withdrawal and secrecy (as cited in Ray & Brooks Dollar, 2014). The Modified Labelling Theory is a credible theory that has been used to approach not only the repercussions of stigma in mental illness, but also to explain behaviours of those who smoke, live with HIV/AIDS, or have a child with a disability (Ray & Brooks Dollar,
Tori, DeAngelis. "New data on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Mental Health." www.apa.org/monitor/feb02/newdata.aspx . N.p., 12 february 2002. Web. 9 Apr 2014.
HIV/AIDS is a major risk factor affecting a large portion of the LGBT community, especially gay men. CDC.gov (2013) found that gay and bisexual men of all races continue to be at high risk for developing HIV. According to Krehely (2009) the drug and substance abuse risk factor, as well as mental health issues in the LGBT community often occur and are related to high rates of stress due to the lack of family acceptance of the LGBT lifestyle, systematic discrimination, and the lack of cultural competency in the health care environment. Sexu...
The stigmatization and discrimination that goes hand and hand with a positive diagnosis of HIV/AIDS is overwhelming. FreeDictonary.com defines discrimination as the “treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit; partiality or prejudice.” In essence, discrimination is about actions and stigma relates to beliefs and attitudes. Both however are built up on negative views of a person just because they are apart of a specific group. All over the world, there are well-documented cases of people living with HIV that are being denied the right to health- care, work, education, and freedom of movement, among others. (UNAIDS 2005) This stigma and discrimination exist globally, although it appears differently...
Zulueta, P de (2000). The ethics of anonymised HIV testing of pregnant women: a reappraisal . Journal of Medical Ethics, 26, 16-21.
, findings have implications for designing and implementing interventions supporting women with HIV disease in disclosing their HIV status appropriately, particularly to their spouse and children. In the long run, self-disclosure may help decrease depression and improve quality of life among HIV-infected women living in limited resource settings. A referral for a personal counselor and a family counselor would be beneficial for Keishea and her family.... ... middle of paper ...
It is very reasonable to conclude that research on depression of those who identify as gay, lesbian or transsexual is not accurate; there is an underreporting of people who identify as these sexual orientations because of the fear of being different. It is understood that those apart of the LGBTQ community actively hide their identity in hopes to avoid being rejected or abused (Bird, 2013). Once the reporting issue of having a smaller percentage of the actual representation of the LGBTQ population is put aside, there is evidence that highly suggests that lesbians and gay men are at higher risk for psychiatric disorders than heterosexuals (Cochran, 2001). Even after underreporting, there is still enough information to conclude that sexual discrimination can have harmful effects on the quality of life. Common factors that have been observed in lesbians and gays that can potentially increase depression during Cochran's study are anxiety and mood disorders and decreased self esteem. Cochran and her partner also noted that dissatisfaction with how one is treated beca...
In the case of “Leonel v. American Airlines, Inc. (AA), 400 F.3d 702 (9th Cir.2005)” (Melvin, 2013), on page 351 of The Legal Environment of Business: a Managerial Approach: Theory to Practice, “Leonel and two other applicants were given conditional offers of employment by American Airlines.” (Melvin, 2013); these offers were dependent on whether a background check and medical exam were passed. However, before the background checks could be conducted American Airlines directed Leonel and the other applicants to go to their facility and take medical exams and a health questionnaire. “Leonel and the other applicants were HIV-positive” (Melvin, 2013) and failed to divulge this on their questionnaires. The applicants’ tests came back HIV positive and resulted in AA retracting their offer. This leads “Leonel and
On November 7th, 1991, NBA star Ervin “Magic” Johnson announced that he tested positive for HIV and was retiring from basketball (7). Twenty plus years later Mr. Johnson is living proof that having HIV is not an automatic death sentence. When Mr. Johnson made his announcement, he gave the taboo topic of HIV/AIDS a very real and prominent public image. With his acknowledgement of being HIV positive spoken aloud, no longer could people put this disease into categories. Indeed, a rich heterosexual male not living in a third world country could contract HIV. HIV/AIDS is not only relegated to homosexuals or poor people.
Stigma is a powerful tool of social control. Stigma can be used to marginalize, exclude and exercise power over individuals who show certain characteristics. While the societal rejection of certain social groups (e.g. 'homosexuals, injecting drug users, sex workers') may predate HIV/AIDS, the disease has, in many cases, reinforced this stigma. By blaming certain individuals or groups, society can excuse itself from the responsibility of caring for and looking after such populations. This is seen not only in the manner in which 'outsider' groups are often blamed for bringing HIV into a country, but also in how such groups are denied access to the services and treatment they need.
To understand Health behavior and the association with HIV/AIDS Storey et al. believed that defining communication and knowing the effectiveness of it can shed some light on how it can be used in a positive way to reach those that may otherwise be unreachable. The authors defined Communication as a “fundamental human process without which most individual, group, organizational, and societal activities could not happen, including how people think about and respond to HIV/AIDS” (2015, p. S241).