Assignment task:
X is a 32-year-old woman. In 1990 a man with whom she had had a long relationship informed her that he was HIV-positive. She then was tested for HIV, and the result was positive.
After having discovered she was HIV-positive, X embarked upon a regime involving alternative medicine therapy, a strict diet and healthy living. From her point of view, after eight or nine years this regime has left her very fit and well, although she remains HIV-positive. In 1997, she met a man, whom she has not married. He was tested for HIV and was found negative. They then tried to conceive a child.
Their daughter was born on April 8, 1999. They chose not to go through the normal channels of registering at a hospital for pre- and post-natal care because they were concerned that conventional medical treatment would force them to adopt what they both considered to be an unacceptable approach to the birth. The mother gave birth to her baby at home with the assistance of a midwife. She had a natural birth, and the child was born entirely fit and healthy.
Because there was a 25 to 30 percent chance that this child would be born HIV-positive, doctors felt the child should be tested. If the child was HIV-positive, further treatment would be highly desirable. Moreover, the mother has been breastfeeding the baby since birth. If the baby is HIV-positive, such breastfeeding obviously can continue. If, however, the child is negative, the medical experts unanimously felt that the mother ought not to breastfeed. Despite the request of the medical staff, the parents refused to have the child tested for HIV.
Who are the stakeholders in this scenario?