Legislation contagion: the spread of problematic new HIV laws in Western Africa.

Model legislation can be a useful tool for fighting HIV/AIDS, but only if it is based on sound human rights principles. In 2004, AWARE-HIV/AIDS prepared a model law on HIV for use in Western Africa. Several countries in the region have already drafted national laws based on the model law. In this article, Richard Pearshouse reviews some of the key provisions in the model law, identifying a number of human rights concerns that should be addressed before such legislation should be considered as a model to be implemented by national legislatures.