Fla. Woman Charged With Transmitting HIV To 200 Partners

mycfnow ^

[chance33_98]

Fla. Woman Charged With Transmitting HIV To 200 Partners

Posted: 8:05 a.m. EST March 8, 2003 Updated: 9:36 a.m. EST March 9, 2003

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Jacksonville woman is facing charges that she criminally transmitted the HIV virus to at least 200 unprotected parters. Melissa Jernigan, 24, told police that she tested positive for the virus in 1999 and continued to have unprotected sex.

It is a third-degree felony in Florida, punishable by five years in prison, for an HIV-positive person to have sex with a partner but not first informing them about the diagnosis of the virus.

"This crime is actually in the area of attempted murder," Sgt. H.R. Atkinson of the Duval County Sheriff's Office sex crimes unit told the Florida Times-Union for its Saturday editions.

Jernigan was being held Friday at the John E. Goode Pre-Trial Detention Facility in Jacksonville. It could not be immediately determined if she had obtained an attorney.

[MonroeDNA]

Hey, thanks.

200 encounters sounds made up, but even if were 1000, the odds are only 1%, max. More likely 0.1%.

Not condoning the behaviour in the least, but staying on topic, no normal heterosexual got infected. The odds speak.

The vast, vast majority of real AIDS cases are gay men, drug users, or somebody already with the clap.

If somebody not in that group did get infected by this woman, I will admit I am wrong.

I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.

[templar]

A lot? You're going to have to define that; ...

Well, you're right about what a lot means in comparison to the general population. As with all relative things, it would depend on an individuals perception. After all, 1,000,000 is less than .05% of the general population in the U.S., and not even a noteworthy percentage of the world population. OTOH, some people would consider 10,000 or 100,000 to be a lot. What's it mean to you?

5 or 10 tricks a day isn't exactly rare for prostitutes in the big cities. Most would barely make a living with that many. Of course, it could also depend on what the definition of sex is, you know. From what I've heard from my cop aquaintances, a large part of it is the Monica type of sex now, and we all know that that isn't really sex.

[Dajjal]

bttt

[Centurion2000]

I still can't understand why men would have sex with women with a condom on ......

Ummm....you aren't serious, are you?

Yes, I am. What's the point of having a one night stand. You date, it gets more serious, you both get screened, iof she deosn't use B/C then I could see why you would use one, but if you're not sure she's clean .... don't do it.

[Terriergal]

Only takes a few bad apples to ruin things for a LOT of people. :-(

Then again, those that abstain from risky sex aren't very likely going to catch anything from her or her partners.

[The Coopster]

Well, I certainly agree with the point about the one-night stands. I guess I should have thought a little more carefully about the whole context of your post. My viewpoint was more along the lines of people who know they are in a relationship for the long haul. Of course, the truly Christian viewpoint is to save one'self for marraige, but we all know that sometimes that simply doesn't happen.

[The Coopster]

Sorry - marriage.....

[Centurion2000]

My viewpoint was more along the lines of people who know they are in a relationship for the long haul

Total agreement here. Either you're in it for the long haul, or it's just sweaty pleasurable exercise with far too great a disease danger level for true peace of mind.