Examining the Ethics of HIV/AIDS Counseling: Past and Present

This presentation outlines the evolution of ethical considerations in HIV/AIDS counseling, contrasting past practices with current standards. Initially, counseling focused narrowly on conjugal life and HIV-infected individuals, but it has broadened to include psychological perspectives and target couples, expecting mothers, and sex workers. Key ethical principles discussed include confidentiality, where patient information is protected unless another person is at risk, and informed consent, which is required before counseling begins and must disclose intended outcomes. Recent modifications incorporate beneficence and nonmaleficence, WHO guidelines for informed consent, and informed consent during pregnancy, alongside controversies like HIV testing for newborns revealing the mother's HIV status and potentially breaching her informed consent. The presentation references scholarly articles to support its claims.

Ethics of HIV/AIDS Counseling:
Then and Now
Presented by:

History of Counseling Pattern
• Before
• Limited question
• More focused to the conjugal life
• Main target group: People suffering from
HI
• After
• More liberal question
• Analysis of the psychological perspectives
• Main target group: Couples willing to get
married, expecting mother and sex
workers
(Bor, Miller & Goldman, 2013)

Ethics Related to HIV Counseling
• Confidentiality
• Information related to HIV/AIDs are not disclosed through publication of general
bulletin
• Patient information can only be disclosed without patient’s consent if another person
(having close contact with patient) is found vulnerable in getting affected
(Tucker & Rennie, 2014)
• Informed Consent
• Informed consent must be taken before the onset of the counseling
• Informed consent must disclose the intended outcome
(Tucker & Rennie, 2014))

New Modification in the HIV/AIDs Ethics
• Introduction of beneficence and non-
maleficence
• Modification of bio-ethics of informed
consent under the guidance of WHO
• Introduction of the informed consent
during pregnancy
• Controversy: HIV-testing for new-born
revealing the HIV state of mother,
breaching the informed consent of
mother
(Hardy & Cu-Uvin, 2015)

References
• Bor, R., Miller, R., & Goldman, E. (2013). Theory
and practice of HIV counselling: a systemic
approach. Routledge
• Hardy, E., & Cu-Uvin, S. (2015). Care of the HIV-
infected pregnant woman in the developed
world. Obstetric medicine, 8(1), 13-17.
• Tucker, J. D., & Rennie, S. (2014). Social and
ethical implications of HIV cure research. AIDS
(London, England), 28(9), 1247.