Commentary: Human Rights Is a U.S. Problem, Too: The Case of Women and HIV

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Commentary: Human Rights Is a U.S. Problem, Too: The Case of Women and HIV

American Journal of Public Health (10/99) Vol. 89, No. 10, P. 1479
Gollub, Erica L.

In a commentary, Erica L. Gollub, a member of the Center for Studies of Addiction in Pennsylvania, asserts that new antiretroviral therapies used to slow the AIDS epidemic are not reaching women as much as men. Heterosexuals were not considered most at risk when AIDS first struck, and women are paying because of it. Gollub states that new welfare policies are hurting women with HIV by reducing their time for therapy. They have to work but cannot keep up strict treatment regimens. Other policies make it hard for women with children to seek treatment or to leave HIV-infected partners who also may be abusive. According to Gollub, the care of HIV-infected women is inadequate and not enough women receive antiretroviral treatment. Companies need to research and fund more barrier methods that prevent the transmission of HIV sexually, such as the female condom. Gollub emphasizes the importance of focusing education on empowering women to reduce their infection rates. The public health response will work best when aimed at ending laws and practices that make treatment for women difficult.

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