About AIDS

You remember Nushawn Williams, whom this column has discussed before. An HIV-infected drug user, last year Mr. Williams had unprotected sexual intercourse with numerous young women in Chatauqua County, New York, allegedly infecting at least 13 of them. Although genetic testing was not used to prove that the infections indeed came from him, this spring he went to prison, found or pleading guilty on multiple counts.

Now comes chapter three, which threatens to be an ongoing saga. The Chatauqua health department reports that at least one infected woman has spread the virus to at least one other sex partner, and several of the infected women have had babies, including one born with HIV. Some of the women acknowledge that they do not disclose HIV status to their new sex partners nor, I suspect, to their drug partners.

Here, an interesting double standard emerges. Of course we were all horrified at Nushawn Williams' disregard for the lives of these young women, but let us not overlook their own behavior. They are sexually active needle-drug users who traded -- and perhaps still are trading -- sex for a fix. Those who are placing their partners at risk for HIV infection are acting just as reprehensibly as Mr. Williams; their gender does not excuse them. Will they be punished, as he was? Will they receive help for their substance abuse and counseling about their risky behavior? What will Chatauqua's response be?

-- Sandy Bartlett, Community Information/Education Coordinator AIDS Services of Austin

---

ASA Info Line: 458-AIDS, E-mail: [email protected]