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State, Public Policy, and AIDS Discourse

NCJ Number
119424
Journal
Contemporary Crises Volume: 13 Dated: (1989) Pages: 1-14
Author(s)
B D Adam
Date Published
1989
Length
14 pages
Annotation
An investigation of the language of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and of the deeper political forces which have generated the discussion over AIDS control policy will afford a better understanding of the public debate over this issue in the 1980s.
Abstract
The emergence of the AIDS virus revitalized conflicts over the family and sexuality, mirroring in some ways earlier debates over contraception and the control of other sexually transmitted diseases. Although from 1981 to 1983 there was virtually no public discourse on AIDS, since 1983, there has been a massive proliferation of AIDS information. Certain presumptions, accepted by the media, have led to the formulation of governmental policies in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom which favor State control of sexual education and control of HIV-infected people and those at high risk. These policies, in turn, have caused community-based groups to seek to empower their constituents by affirming their sexuality while avoiding viral transmission. 1 table, 2 endnotes, 35 references. (Author abstract modified)

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