Join the Movement to Reform HIV Laws in Mississippi
HIV CRIMINALIZATION IN MISSISSIPPI
HIV criminalization is the prosecution of people living with HIV for things that are perfectly legal or only minor crimes for people who have not tested positive.
UNSCIENTIFIC
MS law doesn’t match the science and punishes behaviors, like spitting, that poses no risk of HIV transmission.
UNJUST
In MS, a person living with HIV can go to prison for not disclosing their status before consensual sex. This is true even when they did not intend to harm anyone and no harm resulted.
UNSUPPORTED
HIV criminal laws like that in MS are opposed by public health and criminal justice experts, such as the ACLU, the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL).
UNPRODUCTIVE
Singling out a single disease, MS’ law stigmatizes and marginalizes people living with HIV, which undercuts an effective response to the epidemic creating a disincentive for being tested for HIV.
