States in the United States have criminalized the act of knowingly engaging in sex with another person while infected with HIV without informing the other person of your HIV infection. Some states limit it to having unprotected sex with someone who does not know you are HIV infected. Others make it a crime to engage in anal or vaginal sex of any kind if your partner is unaware that you are infected with HIV.

Thirty-four states have prosecuted HIV positive individuals for not disclosing HIV status and exposing another person to the HIV virus. A person’s intent to infect their partner while engaging in sexual intercourse and failure to disclose his or her status is committing a crime. A person donating HIV infected organs, tissues, and blood can be prosecuted for transmission of the virus. Spitting or transmitting HIV infected bodily fluids is considered a criminal offense in some states, particularly where the target is a prison guard. Some states consider criminal transmission of HIV as a misdemeanor others treat it as a felony. These states have laws that prosecute individuals for criminal exposure of HIV: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho,Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri,  Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.

AIDS Policy Law. 1999 Dec 24;14(22):5.