Axia College Material
Appendix G
Case Study: Gayle and Patrick
Read the following case study about Gayle and Patrick. You may also click on the Audio: Thinking It Over if you prefer to listen to the case study. After reviewing the case study, answer the questions on below.
Gayle and Patrick have been in a monogamous marriage for seven years. During a medical checkup, Gayle finds that she is HIV positive. Because she has not been sexually active outside her marriage and has never injected drugs, received a blood transfusion, or been hospitalized, she is quite certain that Patrick must have infected her. When she calls the local health clinic to discover if Patrick has been tested for HIV, they tell her that this information is confidential. She does not want to confront Patrick for fear that he may not be infected and she will have to explain her own infection.
Audio: Thinking It Over
This is a difficult situation for Gayle to find herself in. She has to deal with two very large issues — she's infected with a life-threatening virus and she's living with doubt and fear about her partner. Since she's quite certain he transmitted the virus to her, he most likely is infected. How did he become infected? In what behavior did he participate that put him at risk, and eventually put her at risk as well? Why didn't he tell her about it? Why didn't he have himself tested to make sure he was HIV-free? Most people in such cases would be angry with their partners. But Gayle is holding out that there's a possibility that Patrick isn't infected. Now she has to deal with the issue of disclosing this news to Patrick and confronting him with the questions. This is not something she needs to be dealing with right now. What could Patrick and Gayle have done to ensure each other's safety? What would have been the responsible thing to do?

1. What do you think Gayle should do?
If she were to speak to me about I would tell her that she needs to broach the subject with Patrick, maybe he was in an accident and required a blood transfusion, it may be that if he is infected he might not know it. I would advise her to be honest and let him know how scared she is about it. Since they are married it is a joint venture. She should keep the lines of communication if she does not he will know that something is bothering her and sooner or later as the fear turns to anger she will either shut down completely or start snapping at him and becoming more angry.

2. What might you do in a similar situation?
At this point in my marriage I would be devastated because I know I am clean and I know that Freddy was checked when he was diagnosed with Hepatitis C back in 2001. However, knowing that this is hypothetical I would not question my partner I would tell him that I had gone to the doctor and let him know what they found. I would ask if at any time had he been in an accident and needed blood. If he became angry I would ask him why he was, then I would ask for him to be tested as well. If he refused I would ask why he did not want to be tested. My next reply to him would depend on his answer.

3. What laws does your state have regarding partner notification for HIV, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted infections?
Yes, you are required by law to tell all current and past partners about STD/HIV, if you have it. They can narrow all of this down by dna testing, too.

There was a case that was on the news a few months ago about a man in Indianapolis that has Aids and was required to tell his partners about his disease, but he was not telling them and when a woman stepped forward he was arrested. They put his picture on TV by the next evening there were several women who called in to say that they too had been with him.

7 / 7 – Super job!

You put a lot of thought into this assignment, and I commend you for your honest answers!