The sexual ethics of HIV testing and the rights and responsibilities of partners

The discourse of much of the international AIDS community champions the rights of individuals in low-income countries to "just say no" to routine HIV testing in health-care settings and, if tested and found positive, not to inform their sexual partner(s) if such disclosure could result in substantial personal harm. This study contends that the right of individuals to refuse testing ignores the right of their sexual partners--male or female, regular or casual--to be informed of the health risks to which they may be exposed on entering or continuing a sexual relationship or engaging in particular sexual acts. If, as the UN has declared, all persons have the right to decide freely and responsibly on matters relating to their sexuality, including their sexual and reproductive health, free from coercion, discrimination, and violence, then all persons have the right and the responsibility to know their own and their partner's serostatus and to protect themselves and their partner(s) from sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Support by AIDS activists for policies of routine STI/HIV testing, counseling, and disclosure between both partners in a sexual relationship would help to promote an ethic of equal rights and shared responsibility for sexual behavior and its consequences.