A federal judge in Virginia ruled last month that service members who are HIV-positive cannot be discharged or barred from becoming an officer solely because they’re infected with the virus.
A federal judge in Virginia ruled last month that service members who are HIV-positive cannot be discharged or barred from becoming an officer solely because they’re infected with the virus.
I get that this comes with a very visceral response but I don't think it is an crazy as it might seem. In the first place it is true that our knowledge and medical capacity to deal with HIV has evolved vastly in the past two decades, with the right medication people can remain undetectable and untransmissible potentially for ever. Secondly, if I read correctly the Virginia only covers currently serving individuals, it does not mean that HIV cannot be a medical disqualification for joining, and there have been many advances in thinking over recent times around how to allow service members with chronic illnesses or severe injuries to continue to serve in some capacity or other. This is not just fair to the individuals but a good return on investment for training and experience. It might require some restrictions on service, requirements around adherence to medication regimes etc but why chuck a qualified valuable service member for an illness that can be so well managed?
