An International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) brochure geared toward young people with HIV says it’s up to them whether or not they tell future partners about their disease.
The “Healthy, Happy and Hot” pamphlet describes itself as “a guide for young people living with HIV to help them understand their sexual rights, and live healthy, fun, happy and sexually fulfilling lives.”
It advises: “Young people living with HIV have the right to decide if, when, and how to disclose their HIV status,” and, “You know best if and when it is safe for you to disclose your status.”
Many states in the U.S. have partner-notification laws—meaning someone with HIV must tell their partner they tested positive or they could be charged with a crime. The IPPF brochure calls such laws a “violation of rights.”
“Some countries have laws that say people living with HIV must tell their sexual partner(s) about their status before having sex, even if they use condoms or only engage in sexual activity with a low risk of giving HIV to someone else,” the pamphlet says. “These laws violate the rights of people living with HIV by forcing them to disclose or face the possibility of criminal charges.”
An HIV-positive college student in Missouri was arrested last year after engaging in unprotected sex with more than 30 partners, infecting at least one with the disease. He had previously told his partners he was disease-free.
According to OneNewsNow, American Life League Executive Director Paul Rondeau says Planned Parenthood would rather let people die than tell an infected person to do the “ethical thing” by informing a sexual partner of their disease.
“If you do something reckless with a car that endangers other people, that endangers their life, it’s called reckless driving,” Rondeau explains. “You could lose your license for that. If you actually kill somebody by reckless driving, it’s at least called manslaughter.”
A Web editor with Townhall.com agrees that the brochure’s advice is irresponsible.
“While all human beings deserve to be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their HIV status, it is absolutely absurd to suggest to people that informing their partner that they have a very serious disease is merely a personal choice,” writes Christine Rousselle.
“While the risk of transmission may be quite small if proper steps are taken,” she continues, “it still isn’t right to keep one’s partner in the dark about any potential risks. Hurt feelings aren’t a terminal condition—but HIV is.”
The brochure also promotes abortion by listing it as an option when a woman with HIV gets unexpectedly pregnant. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which is America’s largest abortion provider and has performed at least 5.3 million of the procedures in the U.S., is part of the IPPF.
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