A person with HIV and doesn't tell his lovers,

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randirhoades

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and you know it, do YOU have a moral obligation to tell his lovers or let it be? I have a friend who has it and is infecting a lot of people. He doesn’t care. He’s on drugs/Meth/all and is an alcoholic and I think that he has infected his lovers. In some states it’s considered a criminal assault. A felony…

Did I put this in the correct section? Where do I put this?

Love, hugs and prayers,
Sheila
 
Because what he’s engaging in is a major public health risk, I’d notify the necessary authorities.

Your profile says you are located in Texas. Here is the Texas Department of State Health Services. They have a big section on STDs and HIV in particular. You could call and anonymously ask what you can do to help.
 
and you know it, do YOU have a moral obligation to tell his lovers or let it be? I have a friend who has it and is infecting a lot of people. He doesn’t care. He’s on drugs/Meth/all and is an alcoholic and I think that he has infected his lovers. In some states it’s considered a criminal assault. A felony…

Did I put this in the correct section? Where do I put this?

Love, hugs and prayers,
Sheila
Yes he should.He is playing Russian roulette with their lives. Shameful. And a good reason NOT to sleep around…
 
I agree it’s right to tell the authorities. You’d report other forms of abuse–this is just another form of abuse. Very very sad for all these women. I hope they are all okay and can get free medical treatment out of this, if need be.
 
Yes he should.He is playing Russian roulette with their lives. Shameful. And a good reason NOT to sleep around…
WHEN WILL WE EVER LEARN!!! I would defiantly report it, at least you’ve done the best you can to prevent further harm. Looks like he is completely out of control!!! I sure wouldn’t call that love, or lovers!!! God Bless, Memaw
 
and you know it, do YOU have a moral obligation to tell his lovers or let it be? I have a friend who has it and is infecting a lot of people. He doesn’t care. He’s on drugs/Meth/all and is an alcoholic and I think that he has infected his lovers. In some states it’s considered a criminal assault. A felony…

Did I put this in the correct section? Where do I put this?

Love, hugs and prayers,
Sheila
Yeah in this case he has a legal obligation in all jurisdictions I believe as well as a moral one. So I’d not only tell his lovers, I’d tell the authorities. And frankly, I’d not remain friends with him as that is some seriously messed up sinful criminal behavior.
 
Yeah in this case he has a legal obligation in all jurisdictions I believe as well as a moral one. So I’d not only tell his lovers, I’d tell the authorities. And frankly, I’d not remain friends with him as that is some seriously messed up sinful criminal behavior.
I agree with this.

The type of person who would knowingly engage in that type of behavior lacks the basic human empathy to be your friend. Call the authorities and cut him out of your life.
 
and you know it, do YOU have a moral obligation to tell his lovers or let it be? I have a friend who has it and is infecting a lot of people. He doesn’t care. He’s on drugs/Meth/all and is an alcoholic and I think that he has infected his lovers. In some states it’s considered a criminal assault. A felony…

Did I put this in the correct section? Where do I put this?

Love, hugs and prayers,
Sheila
You have no obligation to keep this information a secret. Report him immediately and drop the “friendship”. My father was a Deputy District Attorney in my county for many years and he prosecuted some guys just like this for ATTEMPTED MURDER. Do not cooperate with this evil; tell the authorities.
 
If you have a way to notify anyone he may have exposed to this disease and he has told you he does not care, then yes, call them. Do it today. Tell them to make certain that anyone he may share needles with also knows. And yes, call the Health Department and make sure you’ve done all you can do to keep him and those he may have infected already from infecting others.

You don’t know who else you may be protecting from exposure to that deadly disease, or who knows, some other disease he may have. It is entirely possible that he has more than the one.

I’m sorry you’ve been put into this situation. Hang in there, but do the right thing!

As for this fellow, let’s pray that he gets clean and sober and starts to care.

Either this forum or the moral theology forum would have been fine. I think you can expect the same advice in either place, because this is more of a case of having the emotional support to do the right thing than seeing what the right thing to do is.
 
In our state, attempted murder charges can be brought by an aggressive DA. Please tell a trusted individual or organization.
 
and you know it, do YOU have a moral obligation to tell his lovers or let it be? I have a friend who has it and is infecting a lot of people. He doesn’t care. He’s on drugs/Meth/all and is an alcoholic and I think that he has infected his lovers. In some states it’s considered a criminal assault. A felony…

Did I put this in the correct section? Where do I put this?

Love, hugs and prayers,
Sheila
First I would de-friend such a person and I don’t mean on facebook. Second if his friends are your friends I’d have no problem telling friends why I’m no longer this guy’s friend.
 
umm… Am I the only one whose first thought was ‘how do you know who he is sleeping with’? As much as knowingly passing on an STD is wrong, is it just not as wrong to out ones fingers in another’s personal life.
 
and you know it, do YOU have a moral obligation to tell his lovers or let it be? I have a friend who has it and is infecting a lot of people. He doesn’t care. He’s on drugs/Meth/all and is an alcoholic and I think that he has infected his lovers. In some states it’s considered a criminal assault. A felony…
The person to whom you refer is arguably acting contrary to the 5th commandment. The act which the Hebrew wording of the commandment captures includes what we might call wreckless endangerment (of life):

*There are two different Hebrew words (ratsakh, mut) and two Greek words (phoneuo, apokteino) for “murder” and “killing.” One means “to put to death,” and the other means “to murder.” The latter one is the one prohibited by the Ten Commandments, not the former. **In fact, ratsakh has a broader definition than the English word “murder.” Ratsakh also covers deaths due to carelessness or neglect **… *

The moral course of action would seem quite clear - report the person to the authorities.

gotquestions.org/you-shall-not-murder.html

Note: The source I quote is Protestant, not Catholic, but I doubt this point is a matter of dispute.
 
**The only person who could morally keep such a secret are those morally-bound to keep it: a priest bound by the seal of confession and in some cases, a physician or health care provider bound by laws forbidding disclosure.

Even health care providers are bound to disclose in some cases, as explained on the US government web site, AIDS.gov:

"*HIV DISCLOSURE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

If your HIV test is positive, the clinic or other testing site will report the results to your state health department. They do this so that public health officials can monitor what’s happening with the HIV epidemic in your city and state. (It’s important for them to know this, because Federal and state funding for HIV/AIDS services is often targeted to areas where the epidemic is strongest.)

Your state health department will then remove all of your personal information (name, address, etc.) from your test results and send the information to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC is the Federal agency responsible for tracking national public health trends. CDC does not share this information with anyone else, including insurance companies. For more information, see CDC’s Questions about Privacy, Insurance, and Cost.

Many states and some cities have partner-notification laws—meaning that, if you test positive for HIV, you (or your healthcare provider) may be legally obligated to tell your sex or needle-sharing partner(s). In some states, if you are HIV-positive and don’t tell your partner(s), you can be charged with a crime. Some health departments require healthcare providers to report the name of your sex and needle-sharing partner(s) if they know that information—even if you refuse to report that information yourself.

Some states also have laws that require clinic staff to notify a “third party” if they know that person has a significant risk for exposure to HIV from a patient the staff member knows is infected with HIV. This is called duty to warn. The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program requires that health departments receiving money from the Ryan White program show “good faith” efforts to notify the marriage partners of a patient with HIV/AIDS.

DISCLOSURE POLICIES IN CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES

If you are serving time in a jail or prison, your HIV status may be disclosed legally under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Standard for Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens. State or local laws may also require that your HIV status be reported to public health authorities, parole officers spouses, or sexual partners*."
aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/just-diagnosed-with-hiv-aids/your-legal-rights/legal-disclosure/

This is obviously a case where the moral argument in favor of discretion with someone else’s private information pales in comparison with the duty to protect people from contracting deadly diseases where it is possible.
 
Thank you…I would/will/have report/reported abuse of any kind!
 
I don’t agree with these answers. If the intercourse is between your friend and a consenting adult, it is their choice and their responsability. When someone accepts to have unprotected casual sex is also aware of the risk. I think reporting HIV positive people only reinforce the stigma. Plus, you don’t really know what is the viral load of your friend (if the viral load is very low or undetectable is unlikely to pass the infection).
 
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