AEGiS-APPJ: Women, AIDS, and Public Policy

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1988. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Women, AIDS, and Public Policy

AIDS & Public Policy Journal 3, no. 2 (1988): 50-52.
Janet L. Mitchell

It must be recognized that the policies being formulated by federal, state, and local governmental agencies and by medical professional groups will have a direct bearing on women, even if they are aimed at the general population. Women are being targeted for many policies because, unlike men, they are more likely to enter the health care system when they are healthy. Another reason is that women/mothers have historically been seen as the caretakers of family health needs. Finally, they truly are the connecting element in heterosexual and perinatal virus transmission. The first and second points represent legitimate reasons for aiming policies at women. However, a more appropriate approach would be to enlist women's help not only in implementing strategies but also in the formulation and planning stages. Policies formulated for women, by women, especially women in at-risk groups, have a much better chance of reducing the spread of HIV than those designed with good intentions but little understanding of the complex issues involved. Recommendations need to be more culturally specific.
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