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From: li40163@prism.gatech.edu (M. AXFORD)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: Re: Intentional Transmission of AIDS
Keywords: criminal recklessness
Message-ID: <39582@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
Date: 2 Oct 90 01:17:30 GMT
References: <38625@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> <39235@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> <39321@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> <39513@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
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Note:	Copyright 1990 by Daniel R. Greening.  Permission granted for
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     You did not read the first words of my post.  Yes I do believe that
people should be responsible for their own behavior.  That is, in part,
my point -- someone who knowingly spreads AIDS is certainly not 
acting responsibly!  No, it doesn't excuse those people who have 
sex with someone without using safe sex -- but there are still a lot
of people who are not well educated about that subject or sadly
believe themselves invulnerable to terminal illnesses because they
are young.
    Prosecutions would have to have some grounds of evidence as in
any other legal case.  In the case I mentioned, my friend whose ex
was having unsafe sex, my friend of course knew his ex-lover had
AIDS because that is how he got the disease and he went through
a lot of his lover's medical tests with him.  After they broke up, 
he saw the ex with a new lover and said, "By the way, do you know
he has AIDS?"   The expression on the new lover's face told him
all he needed to know.
   Would you advocate no legal punishment for a drunk driver who
killed someone?
    I am in favor of deep-sixing laws that are based on one 
particular view of morality.  I would like to see prostitution 
and drugs legalized (in part to concentrate more on education
than expensive wars).  I would like to see marriages between
members of the same sex or plural marriages become legal.
    But I support laws that punish for violating the rights of
another.  Drink all you want, but if you drink and drive 
accept the responsibility that you may get punished.  Make love
all you want, but both accept the responsibility to prevent 
bad things happening and that if you are careless or knowingly
hurt someone else, then you may get sick or you may be punished
by law.
    Responsibility should be on the part of all parties.

-- 
M. AXFORD
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
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