Policy & Politics Iowa: "Draconian" HIV Transmission Law May ChangeFebruary 6, 2014 This article was reported by WCF Courier. The WCF Courier reported on that Iowa's state Sen. Steve Sodders (D-State Center) proposed changes to the state's criminal transmission of HIV statute that would delineate between someone who had criminal intent to infect a partner with infectious diseases like HIV, hepatitis C, or TB, and someone who merely failed to disclose their infection. The proposed Contagious or Infectious Disease Transmission Act would take into account whether the infected person used condoms or was taking medications to limit the risk of transmission. An HIV-positive man in Waterloo, Iowa, recently received a suspended sentence with two to five years of probation for having unprotected sex with a man three times in 2009. The HIV-positive man also must register as a sex offender. The accuser did not test positive for HIV. According to CDE, treatment with antiretroviral medications could reduce HIV transmission by as much as 96 percent. Condom use could reduce risk by approximately 80 percent. Iowa's 1998 law responded to a New York case in which an HIV-positive man stated he had intentionally infected 13 women and girls with HIV. According to Iowa Department of Public Health spokesperson Randy Mayer, excessively punitive laws dissuaded people from having HIV tests and linking to care that could prevent future transmission. The proposed changes had bipartisan support from legislators and Iowa's Attorney General Tom Miller. This article was provided by CDC National Prevention Information Network. It is a part of the publication CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update.
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