Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this piece are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the position of Positive Women’s Network – USA.

by Jessica Warren

July 31, 2019

I tested positive for HIV in 1995 when I was 19 years old. In 2001 I met a man and fell in love. In 2002 I found out I was pregnant and knowing I had HIV, I was terrified I might pass HIV on to my unborn child. Fortunately, I had an amazing support team at the local community health center where I received my healthcare.

When I discussed my pregnancy with my doctor I was surprised to learn that I had less than a one percent chance of passing HIV on to my child as long as I continued to take my medications and followed a few other protocols set in place. In March of 2003 I gave birth to a healthy boy who was in fact negative for HIV.

Having HIV never made me a bad person and it definitely did not make me a bad mother. My son Gabriel is a healthy, happy, well adjusted young man now in 2019. My son makes good grades. He plays on the football team for his high school and is very respectful to my husband and me, his mom.

Recently there has been a lot of media coverage concerning families being separated after seeking asylum, or otherwise entering the United States. As a mother I can’t imagine trying to make a better life for my family and my child is ripped from my arms and me not knowing where he was or that he was safe and being well taken care of.

As a mother living with HIV for the last 23 years, I have witnessed stigma and was judged for bringing my son into this world. I have always done everything to protect my son and raise him to be a good person. I am no exception because I know many other parents living with HIV raising incredible children. So when I heard that ICE was separating children from parents based on their HIV status I was not only appalled, I was devastated.

I heard an official say that HIV is considered a communicable disease, and I could not believe my ears. You can not catch HIV like you can catch the common cold or the flu or tuberculosis. HIV is not a communicable disease, and I pose absolutely no risk to anyone simply because I am living with HIV. It is bad enough families are being ripped apart. But to justify this based on the parent’s HIV status will only intensify the stigma many people living with HIV or AIDS already endure. It has been proven that we can decrease new cases of HIV by ensuring that people are not only tested for HIV but that those who do test positive have access to medications that reduce the viral load.