Punishing disease: HIV and the criminalization of sickness

From the very beginning of the epidemic, AIDS was linked to punishment. Calls to punish people living with HIV – mostly stigmatized minorities – began before doctors could even name the disease. Punitive attitudes towards AIDS prompted lawmakers around the country to introduce legislation aimed at criminalizing the behaviors of people living with HIV.

This talk explains how this happened and with what consequences. Now that the door to criminalizing sickness is open, what other ailments will follow? With lawmakers moving to tack on additional diseases such as hepatitis and meningitis, the question is more than academic.

Speakers will be:

- Alexander McClelland, Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Society and Culture, Concordia University.

- Léa Pelletier-Marcotte, lawyer and Droits de la Personne et VIH/Sida COCQ-SIDA program coordinator.

For more information, please see the conference flyer and the Risk Logics website.