The Ohio Supreme Court says a law requiring people living with HIV to disclose their status to potential sexual partners and doesn鈥檛 violate free speech rights.
Orlando Batista was sentenced in Hamilton County to eight years in prison for not telling his girlfriend he鈥檚 HIV-positive. His lawyer Josh Thompson his behavior was reprehensible, but the law perpetuates a stigma that keeps people from being tested and getting treatment. 鈥淏ut this case is bigger than him. This case is about all HIV positive people in Ohio," Thompson said.
But Samuel Peterson with the Attorney General鈥檚 office said it was carefully written to help curb the spread of HIV and to ensure that only one other person would know the other鈥檚 HIV status: 鈥淚t ensures that informed consent exists between sexual partners.鈥�
The court agreed with the state; that the law achieves an important goal 鈥� protecting victims 鈥� and is so narrowly tailored that it doesn鈥檛 violate anyone鈥檚 free speech rights.
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