DRUG DISCOVERY:
HIV/AIDS
Ethical and Social Issues Surrounding HIV/AIDS
The HIV/AIDS epidemic was encompassed in a "cloud of fear" when it was first reported. In the 1980's, no one knew where the disease came from and how to cure it, considering it a fatal disease and a ticking clock for those who were diagnosed with it. At the time, not much was known about HIV, how it was transmitted and how it came to the country. Due to this kind of thinking, widespread discrimination erupted against those who had HIV/AIDS.
With this, inaccurate information about HIV/AIDS was spread, such as how it would be transmitted and how certain activities could lead an individual to become more susceptible to the disease. People came to question the ethicality of "HIV risk behaviors", which would then lead to more discrimination of those who were HIV-positive. Amongst many groups, many were especially prejudiced against homosexuals. This was because, during the earlier years of the epidemic, many who were HIV-positive were people who were attracted to people of the same sex.
Today, some of the these misunderstandings still lead to the discrimination of those who are affected by the HIV virus. Though many are much more discreet about the discrimination and stigma in today's society, it is still present.
Legal Issues Surrounding HIV/AIDS
As a response to stigma and discrimination, public health officials tried to reduce it by giving out accurate information about how the HIV virus was transmitted and how one could protect themselves from acquiring it. The stigma and discrimination had been blocking the people with HIV from getting proper testing and healthcare. However, despite their efforts, discrimination caused by HIV continued to spread. Many of those rumored to have HIV were fired from their jobs, evicted from their homes, and denied access to medical care and social services.
After several years of discrimination and stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS, Congress passed several federal laws to protect HIV-positive people from social stigmas and discrimination, as well as providing them the same legal protections as the HIV-negative people. Examples of these laws were the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It was passed in 1990, and being HIV-positive had fallen under the umbrella of being a disability. The act made discrimination based on disability illegal in the United States. Later on, Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). It protected one's medical records and health information, allowing for HIV-positive people to have the choice of hiding their HIV status.