Disability Discrimination in America: HIV/AIDS and Other Health Conditions

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) was widely hailed at the time of its enactment in 1990 as providing broad protection against disability discrimination, including discrimination against individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In the years since its enactment, however, courts frequently interpreted the ADA as providing far less protection than was initially anticipated. The Supreme Court's first case involving HIV and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, Bragdon v Abbott, addressed this trend by ruling that a woman with asymptomatic HIV infection is protected from discrimination in accessing dental services. In doing so, the Court endorsed an interpretation of the ADA that is broadly protective for individuals with disabilities. The Court also ruled that health care professionals may legally refuse to treat a patient because of concern that the patient poses a direct threat to safety only if there is an objective, scientific basis for concluding that the threat to safety is significant. In addition to the ADA, state laws frequently prohibit disability discrimination and apply to some employers and others not regulated by federal law. A state-by-state survey of those laws demonstrates that, consistent with Bragdon v Abbott, individuals with asymptomatic HIV have widespread protection on the state level.