Research Assistant: HIV and Reproductive Technology Access

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Medical advancements have turned human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from a deadly disease into a chronic one, and the use of antiretroviral therapies and pre-exposure prophylaxis can limit the transmission of HIV to negligible levels. However, despite significant improvements in treatment, people living with HIV (PLWHIV) who wish to have biological children may require some level of medically assisted reproductive technology (MAR) to prevent partner-to-partner or mother-to-child transmission, or to address underlying infertility. However, many reproductive health clinics refuse to treat people living with HIV. These barriers often force people to seek treatment across borders and, in the European context, this raises questions about the responsibility for financing cross-border care. In this project, you will map the different laws and guidelines in European countries which prevent or allow PLWHIV to access fertility treatment. You will also examine how PLWHIV navigate these complicated webs of local, national, and European Union-level policies regarding the access to and financing of reproductive health assistance. You will also explore the issue from a rights and disability perspective: how do norms and values about the right to healthcare and the right to equal treatment under the law affect the experience of seeking reproductive care? In previous semesters student have published an article in the journal AIDS Care and presented preliminary findings at the European Clinical Aids Society annual conference.