How could I tell them that it's going to be okay? The impact of HIV nondisclosure criminalization on service provision to people living with HIV

ABSTRACT

In 2012 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a person living with HIV must disclose their status before sex unless a condom is used, and they have a low or undetectable viral load, which is a measure of the amount of virus present in the bloodstream. This qualitative study examined the ruling’s impact on HIV/AIDS support services provision. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 psycho-social support providers working with people living with HIV/AIDS, and then recorded and transcribed verbatim. Using inductive thematic analysis, researchers extracted the themes of knowledge of the ruling and role of service providers. Findings highlight uncertainty over the ruling and its application and service providers’ approaches to address the impacts of the ruling.

KEYWORDS:

• counseling
• educational
• legal rights
• service practice
• service providers
• stigma