Does the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) require me to treat individuals with HIV?
While the ADA expressly provides that a public accommodation may exclude an individual if that individual poses a “direct threat” to the health or safety of others that cannot be mitigated by appropriate modifications in the accommodation policies or procedures. One cannot justify the refusal to treat HIV-positive or AIDS patients in the policies of organized medicine or public health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Medical Association recommend the use of “universal precautions” to prevent the transmission of blood-borne diseases in the health care setting.
