Disclosure of HIV status and human rights: The duties and responsibilities of couples, medical professionals, family members and the state

This case history is about a young husband in India who became HIV positive and did not inform his wife. This man was working for a company in the city of Mumbai when he became ill with tuberculosis and was diagnosed with AIDS. This information was not disclosed to his 21-year-old wife, who was livi...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Reproductive health matters Vol. 8; no. 15; pp. 148 - 149
Main Authors:	Kalavathy, MC, Vijayasankar, SK
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01-05-2000 Taylor & Francis Blackwell Science Ltd
Subjects:	Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Adult AIDS Bioethics Case histories Children Contact Tracing doctor-patient relations Duty to Warn Female Health Professions HIV HIV Infections - transmission HIV/AIDS Human Rights Humans Husbands India Infections Male Men partner notification Patient confidentiality Physician-Patient Relations Physicians Practitioner Patient Relationship Pregnancy Roundtable Self Disclosure Sexual Partners Spouses State Role Truth Disclosure Womens rights India HIV/AIDS doctor-patient relations partner notification human rights Health Care and Public Health
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	This case history is about a young husband in India who became HIV positive and did not inform his wife. This man was working for a company in the city of Mumbai when he became ill with tuberculosis and was diagnosed with AIDS. This information was not disclosed to his 21-year-old wife, who was living with her parents-in-law in a rural area of South Kerala. He came home to recover and, supported by his parents' wishes, wanted his wife to become pregnant, even though she had asked that they wait until he had recovered. She came to know that her husband had AIDS and the dangers it posed only when she was eight months pregnant and he was seriously ill. Her husband died some three months after the baby was born and she went back to her parents' house, where she and the baby were living at the mercy of others. The contributors to this multi-authored Roundtable discuss the various human rights issues and the duties and responsibilities involved -not only of spouses and partners to each other but also of medical professionals, family members and the state-which arise from such a case. L'article expose le cas d'un jeune Indien qui n'a pas informé son épouse de sa séropositivité. L'homme travaillait dans la ville de Mumbai quand il a contracté la tuberculose et les médecins lui ont diagnostiqué le SIDA. Cette information n'a pas été révélée à sa femme âgée de 21 ans, qui vivait avec ses beaux-parents dans une région rurale du Kerala du Sud. Il est rentré chez lui pour se soigner et, appuyé par ses parents, a voulu avoir un enfant, même si sa femme lui avait demandé d'attendre d'être guéri. Elle n'a appris que son mari avait le SIDA et les risques encourus que lorsqu'elle étwit enceinte de huit mois et qu'il était gravement malade. Son mari est mort environ trois mois après la naissance du bébé et elle est revenue chez ses parents, où elle vit avec son enfant à la merci d'autrui. Les participants à cette table ronde étudient les différentes questions des droits de la personne ainsi que les devoirs et responsabilités — non seulement de l'individu à l'égard de son conjoint ou partenaire, mais aussi de la profession médicale, des membres de la famille et de l'Etat — que cette affaire met en lumière. Se trata del caso de un joven esposo en la India que siendo seropositivo no se to informó a su esposa. Este hombre trabajaba para una empresa en la ciudad de Mumbai cuando se enfermó de tuberculosis y fue diagnosticado con SIDA. Esta información no fue divulgada a su esposa de 21 años de edad, quien vivía con sus suegros en una área rural de Kerala Sur. El hombre llegó a su casa para recuperarse y, apoyado por los deseos de sus padres, quería que su esposa se quedara embarazada, aunque ella pidió esperar hasta que él se recuperara. Ella no se enteró de que su esposo tenía SIDA hasta que tenía ocho meses de embarazo y su esposo estaba gravemente enfermo. Cuando el hombre murió unos tres meses después del nacimiento del bebé, ella volvió a la casa de sus padres donde vivía con el bebé a la merced de otros. Los autores que contribuyen a esta Mesa Redonda debaten diversos temas relacionados con los derechos humanos y los deberes y responsabilidades — no solamente de los esposos y las parejas entre sí, sino también de los profesionales médicos, los parientes y el Estado — que surgen de un caso de este tipo.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Case Study-2 ObjectType-Feature-4 ObjectType-Report-1 ObjectType-Article-3
ISSN:	0968-8080 1460-9576
DOI:	10.1016/S0968-8080(00)90017-X