Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ucla-cs!matthew@ooc.uva.nl
From: matthew@ooc.uva.nl (Matthew Lewis)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: Re: Intentional Transmission of AIDS
Message-ID: <40020@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
Date: 11 Oct 90 10:11:25 GMT
References: <38625@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> <39235@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> <39582@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> <39630@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> <39942@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
Sender: news@CS.UCLA.EDU
Organization: Center for Innovation and Cooperative Technology, University of Amsterdam
Lines: 39
Approved: phil@wubios.wustl.edu
Note:	Copyright 1990 by Daniel R. Greening.  Permission granted for
Note:	non-commercial reproduction.
Archive-number: 2609

cyn@mdaali.cancer.utexas.edu (Cyndi Smith) writes:

>Various posters have brought forth various "reasons" for and against the 
>idea of criminal prosecution of those who engage in unprotected sex with 
>others when they _KNOW_ they have tested positive for the AIDS antibody.  
>I offer three cases of the following analogy (my stand will hopefully be 
>clear from the analogy chosen).  

(Three examples)

>Now, this makes sense to me, how about other opinions pro/con (come on, I 
>can take it! 8>))

With all due respect, I feel that the analogy was badly chosen.  Sure, 'A'
cooks a meal for 'B'.  But to make this scenario accurate, 'B' knows that
it is ALWAYS possible, regardless of the cook or the source of the raw
food, that the food is poisoned.  Even stronger, 'B' is surrounded by
advertisements, newspaper articles, television shows, and stories of
friends who have died from food-poisoning, all of which tell him to 'take
the antidote' (or not eat these foods).  Yet, blithely, 'B' enjoys his
meal, and dies.  'A' should have been responsible enough not to serve the
food in question, but 'B' had the opportunity to charmingly say, 'No
thanks.'  Can we please end this discussion?  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.

Yes, there are 'B's who are innocent or badly informed, and maybe there are
situations where 'A's behaviour could or should be described as criminal
(teenagers, mentally handicapped, someone from the rainforests of New
Guinea?).  But, for responsible members of an (in principal) well-informed
society, the ultimate responsibility lies with the individual.

Matthew Lewis
-- 
Matthew Lewis, University of Amsterdam		Grote Bickersstraat 72
+31-20-52 51 220				1013 KS  Amsterdam
Internet: matthew@ooc.uva.nl			The Netherlands
UUCP:	  uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!uvabick!matthew