Published
by Vice
Mark Wilding
On the
maternity ward of California's Kaiser Permanente hospital, John and Jessica
Strangis found themselves facing a terrible decision. It was the 1st of June,
2014, and the couple were expecting their first child. Jessica had begun
feeling contractions at around 4AM that morning, so John called an ambulance,
waiting for it to arrive before getting in his car to make the 20-minute drive
from their home to the hospital.
Jessica
had gone into labour five weeks early, but there was another complication: John
and Jessica were both HIV positive. They knew the doctors would want to give
her drugs to prevent the virus being transmitted to their child, but this
presented a problem, because both John and Jessica believed those drugs would
kill her.
John and
Jessica Strangis were HIV denialists, part of a small community that, despite
the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, questions the link between HIV and
AIDS. The theories espoused by denialists vary, but typically come down to a
few key beliefs: that HIV does not exist or is benign, and that AIDS is
directly caused by recreational drug use or lifestyle choices and is not
sexually transmitted. As for the vast numbers of people who have died as a
result of the disease? It's the HIV treatment that has killed them.
John's
introduction to HIV denialism came in 2011, shortly after he received a
positive diagnosis. Like many, he stumbled across denialist ideas while
searching for information about his condition online. John decided to reject
treatment. A few months later, Jessica did the same. John became a vocal
spokesman for the movement, making YouTube videos about denialist ideas. When
the couple discovered they were expecting a baby, John discussed various
options with denialists online – anything that might allow Jessica to avoid
taking HIV drugs. Some suggested travelling abroad. Others recommended a home
birth. In the end, the baby's premature arrival meant they had no time to carry
out these plans.
