title: Public opinion, public policy, and HIV infection.
abstract: An analysis of the interplay between public opinion and public policy in terms of HIV infection yielded a four-stage framework for considering the development of public policy in relation to a highly charged issue. The phases are denial, irrationality, acceptance, and the development of a rational response. As we move into Phase 4 in relation to HIV infection, we should take a lesson from the history of the development of public policy for persons with disabilities and promote strong federal leadership and a federal antidiscrimination policy that includes persons with HIV infection as a part of the group of persons with disabilities.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: West
mesh_terms: D015658:HIV Infections / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D011287:Prejudice; D011639:Public Opinion; D011640:Public Policy; D014481:United States