Should it be a crime to knowingly expose someone to HIV without disclosing it?

Most sane people would say yes. But a widely panned Vox article published this week said that state laws making it a crime to not disclose your HIV status “have only increased stigma and abuse.” And apparently, many 2020 Democrats agree with this ludicrous, insane point of view.

I need to give Vox more credit. It manages to always get worse than it is. That’s a real skill... pic.twitter.com/KB0U2ilXVA — Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) October 10, 2019

This was a common theme at Thursday night’s CNN town hall focused on gay and transgender issues, sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign. Host Anderson Cooper, for example, called laws criminalizing HIV nondisclosure “antiquated” and based on “old science.” Presidential contender Pete Buttigieg agreed, saying, “It’s not fair and it needs to change.” And both on the CNN stage and in her new LGBT issues platform , Sen. Elizabeth Warren has endorsed decriminalizing HIV transmission as well.

Sen. Cory Booker has also signed on to this radicalism, explicitly agreeing that laws requiring disclosure of HIV status to sexual partners are “archaic” and have “no scientific basis,” calling for their complete repeal.

.@PeteButtigieg says criminal penalties for not informing a sexual partner that you are HIV-positive are "unfair and needs to change."



The argument is that if the virus is undetectable it is untransmittable. pic.twitter.com/BxWFhuwmbS — Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) October 11, 2019

Let’s be frank: This is just completely insane — and talk about "not science-based."

Of course, no one should get sent to jail for accidentally transmitting the HIV virus if they didn't know. But to knowingly conceal that you have the virus is to put another person at risk.

What happened to Democrats being big on consent? If you fail to tell a sexual partner that you have HIV, you are stripping them of their ability to make an informed decision to consent. Essentially, this is sexual assault, and Democrats want to make it legal.

Think about it from your own perspective. Would you want it to be legal for your sexual partner to hide the fact that they’re HIV positive from you? No person has the right to knowingly put others in jeopardy or endanger their health.

Democrats like Buttigieg argue, though, that due to advances in medical technology and HIV treatment, it’s possible for someone to have HIV but not be contagious. This is true, in some cases, and it’s a wonderful advancement. But it still doesn’t justify the repeal of disclosure laws — not even close. For one, having an “undetectable” viral load, and therefore not being contagious, isn’t a permanent status. It can fluctuate. So while yes, tests might show that an HIV-positive person is not contagious at one moment, that can always change, leaving enough risk that to warrant mandatory disclosure.

I, for one, would sure as hell want to know if a sexual partner has HIV, whether they think they’re contagious or not. And if they’re really undetectable and therefore not dangerous, then there’s little harm in having them explain that to a sexual partner.

Plus, why repeal the law for all the people who aren’t undetectable? This is the part of the Democrats’ plan that makes the least sense. There’s no universe where it should be legal for someone to know they have HIV, know they’re contagious, and not have to disclose that to a potential sexual partner.

Democrats may be endorsing this irresponsible decriminalization in an attempt to pander to woke gay and transgender activists, yet in reality it’s mostly the gay community that these laws protect in the first place. Putting gay lives at risk appears to be "woke" now, but it’s sure as hell not “progressive” in any meaningful sense of the word.