- Development & Aid - Economy & Trade - Human Rights - Global
Governance - Civil Society Sunday, May 19, 2013 - In 30 of
Mexico’s 32 states there are laws penalising transmission of
HIV, the AIDS virus, which are regarded by experts as
discriminatory and ineffective in curbing the epidemic. Under
the Federal Criminal Code, passing on a sexually transmitted
infection (STI) or incurable disease is a crime punishable by up
to five years in prison, and this is mirrored in most of the
states’ legislation, where fines and community service are
sometimes included as penalties. In two states, Guerrero in the
southwest and Tamaulipas in the northeast, the laws refer
specifically to HIV/AIDS. The central states of Aguascalientes
and San Luis de Potosí are the only ones that do not criminalise
the transmission of STIs. In Guerrero, article 195 of the state
penal code establishes prison terms of three months to five
years and fines of between 20 and 100 days of the defendant’s
wages for anyone who is aware they have an S