Rights of Pregnant HIV/AIDS Patients

Becoming pregnant when HIV positive presents very little risk of infection to the unborn child. A pregnant woman who is HIV positive has the same rights as any other mother-to-be, as well as the rights provided under law for HIV-positive individuals.

Reproductive Rights

• Pregnant women who are HIV positive have the same right as any other women to determine whether to carry a pregnancy to term as provided under law.

Prenatal Care

• HIV-positive women are entitled to the same rights to prenatal care as any other woman who is pregnant. Prenatal vitamins and HIV medications may be adjusted to ensure that the baby is safe and receives sufficient nutrients for development.

Preventing Transmission

• HIV treatment continues throughout the pregnancy to reduce the likelihood of mother-to-child HIV transmission. With proper medication, the risk is estimated at less than two percent by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Service's AIDS Info on HIV During Pregnancy.

Informed Consent

• All tests performed on a pregnant HIV-positive woman must be explained so that the woman can consent to the tests being done. This is true regardless of whether the tests concern her pregnancy or her HIV infection.

Confidentiality

• Pregnant HIV-positive women share the same right to medical confidentiality that all HIV patients have under law.