Calif. Senator: Intentionally Giving Someone HIV Shouldn’t Be a Felony
California lawmakers are looking to repeal a law that makes it a felony to intentionally infect someone with HIV, claiming it is “very discriminatory.” The Associated Press reports the move, spearheaded by San Francisco Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener, will make it a misdemeanor, rather than a felony, to “intentionally expose someone to HIV.”
According to the bill, it is currently a felony, punishable by three, five or eight years in jail, to knowingly infect someone with HIV (emphasis added):
Existing law makes it a felony punishable by imprisonment for 3, 5, or 8 years in the state prison to expose another person to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by engaging in unprotected sexual activity when the infected person knows at the time of the unprotected sex that he or she is infected with HIV, has not disclosed his or her HIV-positive status, and acts withthe specific intent to infect the other person with HIV.
The bill would repeal those punishments and make it a misdemeanor to infect someone with HIV on purpose.