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From: KARYPM%SJUVM.BITNET@oac.ucla.edu (Paul M. Karagianis)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: Re: Intentional Transmission of AIDS
Message-ID: <40065@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
Date: 11 Oct 90 16:45:48 GMT
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Approved: ddodell@stjhmc.fidonet.org (David Dodell)
Note:	Copyright 1990 by Daniel R. Greening.  Permission granted for
Note:	non-commercial reproduction.
Archive-number: 2612

of pure intelligence, but in terms of sanity.  At one time we (humans)
thought we could change the weather or our crop yields by sacrificing
a goat or virgin; more recently we decided as a society that blacks
were too inferior to be citizens (e.g. the Dred Scott decision), women
were too scatter brained to be trusted with the vote, et cetera ad
nauseum.  If you know you have a lethal STD and you lie to your partner,
causing them to select "higher-risk" (i.e. normal) sex, and they die as
a result then you are a murderer.  The recent "poison" analogy based on
this rather self-evident fact was, I believe, aimed more at making the
distinction between homicide, negligent homicide and accidental homicide.
I agree that PRAGMATICALLY, in the current moral climate, the individual
is responsible for their own welfare, but I'm getting more than a little
tired of hearing people (who I believe are defending the sick from the
very real threat of persecution in our medieval society) apologize for
murderers because "everybody lies about sex" (I don't have the recent
posters exact quote but it's a classic example of circular logic) or...

>   Most people agree that one's own life is one's own
> responsibility, while some people think that the responsibility can
> be shoved over on someone else.  I am no defender of the 'A's of this
> world, but every 'B' has his or her own responsibility.
>                           ...
>   But, for responsible members of an (in principal) well-informed
> society, the ultimate responsibility lies with the individual.
>
> Matthew Lewis

Typical blame-the-victim nonsense.  There is no such thing as "safe"
sex (traditional - I'm not concerned with masturbation or phones) unless
one can trust ones partner to be honest on this topic.  The fact that
we can't trust others in a (small, IMO) minority of cases is not only
inexcusable, but intolerable.  Those in our society who see AIDS as Gods
cure for Homos and Drug addicts place the rest of us in the position of
accepting individual behavior that we would vehemently oppose in, say,
corporations.  I don't have to even ask the dealer that I choose to buy
a car from if the thing is safe: if I get rear-ended and the thing blows
up due to a cheesy gas-tank, the law is on my side.  If you want a
*really* sleazy analogy then try this: someone breaking into my house
to rob me who is injured because I tied a piece of string from the
doorknob to the trigger of a shotgun has the law on their side.  By
extrapolation, someone who catches AIDS because they raped someone who
didn't warn them should also have the law on their side.  People who
lie, or fail to volunteer the information when appropriate are wrong.
The fact that they may be doing this because they are afraid of the
very real threat of societal persecution is indicative of social wrong.
The sane situation that society should be working towards is the one
where we can assume others are honest and that they won't be unjustly
penalized for their honesty.  In the mean time, let's not label as
stupid or irresponsible those who were human enough to believe the
liars they loved.
                                            -Kary

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