skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Monday, December 2, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Heavy lake-effect snow dumps more than 5 feet over parts of Great Lakes region; Study: Fish farms consume far more wild fish than previously thought; Maryland's federal workers prepare to defend their jobs; Federal investments help bolster MA workforce training programs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President-elect Trump's pick to lead the FBI says he'll eradicate the "deep state," Democrats say President Biden's pardon of his son could haunt them, and new allegations surface regarding the man Trump has tapped to lead the Pentagon.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Residents in Colorado's rural communities face challenges to recycling, climate change and Oregon's megadrought are worrying firefighters, and a farm advocacy group says corporate greed is behind high food prices in Montana.

MO Makes First Update to HIV Criminalization Laws in 30 Years

play audio
Play

Monday, August 30, 2021   

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - A bill that went into effect over the weekend makes the first reforms to Missouri's HIV criminalization laws since they were passed in the 1980s.

Among other measures related to prosecutors and police, the bill requires prosecutors to prove someone knowingly exposed someone else who contracted HIV before getting a felony conviction, and reduces the minimum sentence from 10 to three years.

Rico Bush, communications director at Empower Missouri, said research shows HIV criminalization laws do not reduce the spread of HIV, but they do increase stigma and discourage people from getting tested - if they worry knowing their status could leave them vulnerable to conviction.

"It actually was deterring from people getting tested and actually knowing their true status," said Bush. "And then once you know your status, then you can get the help that's needed. We really want people to be educated about how HIV is passed, and also to get rid of the stigma surrounding HIV."

Bush said while there's more to be done, these reforms are an important step. He added that Empower Missouri and other advocates for reducing the stigma around HIV are working to educate people about medications they can take to curb the spread.

More than 13,000 Missourians currently live with HIV. Bush added there also are disparities in enforcement of criminalization laws.

"Since 1990, we know that more than 100 people in Missouri have been convicted of, you know, an HIV crime," said Bush. "And Black men account for half of HIV crime arrests and convictions in the state, of course, this despite being only 5.5% of the state population."

A bill introduced in Congress would incentivize states to eliminate their HIV criminalization laws, the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act.

Earlier this year, Missouri became the third state to allow pharmacists to dispense HIV medication, like PrEP and PEP, without a prescription from a doctor.




get more stories like this via email
more stories
If New York established an unemployment bridge program, 750,000 workers would be eligible for its benefits. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Immigrant New Yorkers want lawmakers to create an unemployment bridge program. It would support unemployed workers who are ineligible for state …


Social Issues

play sound

A New York organization believes universal public childcare can be implemented in five years. New Yorkers United for Child Care is using its newly …

Social Issues

play sound

Federal investments are helping the city of Boston develop greater workforce training programs. The city received $23 million in 2022 to develop …


Fourteen states prohibit transgender people from using the restroom consistent with their gender identity, according to Human Rights Campaign. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Andrew Tobias for Signal Cleveland.Broadcast version by Shanteya Hudson for Ohio News Connection reporting for the Signal Ohio-Public News Service …

Environment

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for Maine News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collabora…

Animal nutritionists confirm sugar is a key energy source for cows, due to its concentrated and rapidly digestible nature. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient Climate.Broadcast version by Danielle Smith for Keystone State News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public Ne…

Social Issues

play sound

South Dakotans passed Amendment F on Election Day, opening the door to impose work requirements on people who qualify for expanded Medicaid benefits…

Social Issues

play sound

For some, apprenticeships provide more than just a job, they offer a career path. Industry leaders are working around the clock, not only on their …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021