Home : HIV/AIDS

ACLU Urges Federal Court to End Government Persecution Of Doctors Over Medical Marijuana (08/03/2000)
SAN FRANCISCO -- The American Civil Liberties Union today urged a federal court to permanently block the federal government from censoring or criminally prosecuting California doctors who recommend medical marijuana to their patients.

Women & AIDS Clinic and ACLU File Suit Alleging Discrimination Against HIV-Positive Woman (06/28/2000)
NEWARK, NJ -- The Women and AIDS Clinic at Rutgers Law School and the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey today filed a federal lawsuit against New Jersey state officials for discriminating against an HIV positive woman and her newborn child.

AmFAR's Prestigious Award of Courage for Legal Defense Presented to ACLU AIDS Project for 'Pioneering' Work (06/21/2000)
NEW YORK -- Recognizing the American Civil Liberties Union's decades of work fighting for the rights of people with HIV - and mobilizing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered communities against the epidemic - the American Foundation for AIDS Research will present the ACLU AIDS Project with its Award of Courage tonight.

Federal Court Rejects HIV-Based Job Discrimination, Ties Employment to Individual Capabilities, Not Bias (03/10/2000)
CHATTANOOGA, TN--Striking a blow against job discrimination based on HIV status, a federal court today reversed a lower court decision that allowed the city of Chattanooga to refuse to hire a man as a police officer just because he has HIV.

ACLU Creates First-Ever HIV Education Curriculum For Homeless Shelters Nationwide (12/21/1999)
NEW YORK -- At a time when cities across the nation are cracking down on increasing numbers of homeless people seeking refuge from the winter, the American Civil Liberties Union today released the first-ever hands-on policy and practice toolkit for homeless shelters, focusing on the connection between HIV/AIDS, homelessness, and shelters, which could serve as a model education program for shelters nationwide.

ACLU Says CDC Guidelines on HIV Surveillance Could Lead to Better Privacy Protections (12/10/1999)
WASHINGTON -- New guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control on HIV surveillance could pave the way for better privacy protections for people with HIV, the American Civil Liberties Union said today.

Federal Court Allows DC Government to Tally Medical Marijuana Initiative Vote (09/17/1999)
"Today's ruling is a tremendous victory for the First Amendment rights of DC voters and home rule," said Arthur Spitzer, Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of the National Capital Area, which had filed the lawsuit last year. "We're delighted that the Federal court has so completely vindicated the rights of District residents." 

ACLU Expresses Significant Doubts About New Draft of Medical Privacy Bill (06/15/1999)
After weeks of negotiating the differences between three medical records privacy bills introduced this year, Senator James Jeffords, the Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, unveiled a new draft of his legislation before his committee today. 

ACLU of New Jersey Challenges HIV Discrimination (05/17/1999)
In September 1998, the woman, identified only as C.C. in the federal court complaint, went to Shelton Dental Services for a routine check-up. After her x-rays were completed by a dental assistant, Dr. McDaniels entered the examining room and asked C.C. questions about her medical history. Once Dr. McDaniels learned that C.C. was HIV positive, he refused to treat her and instead referred her to the Special Services Dental Clinic at the New Jersey Dental School. 

Settlement Ends Discrimination Case of Nine-Year-Old Forced to Take HIV Test (04/22/1999)
CAROL STREAM, IL -- A nine-year-old black child who was allegedly coerced into taking an HIV test after sharing a snorkel in a public pool with a white youth settled a discrimination case against a suburban day care center, the Chicago Sun-Times reported today.

ACLU Settles AIDS Discrimination Case for Homeless Man, Creating Model Education Program for Shelters Nationwide (01/15/1999)
NEW YORK, NY -- The American Civil Liberties Union today announced the settlement of an AIDS discrimination case in which Patrick Keegan Biggers, a homeless man, was evicted from a shelter in Maine because he was HIV positive.

ACLU Tells CDC New Guidelines for HIV Tracking Violate Privacy,  Ignore Public Health Research (01/12/1999)
The CDC draft guidelines recommend that states institute case reporting of people who test positive for HIV. The guidelines clearly state a preference for names reporting over the use of unique identifiers, a move that has come under heavy attack from the ACLU and other groups, who charge that the guidelines ignore strong scientific evidence.