Maya Rhodan covers the HOPE Act:
Two weeks before World AIDS Day, President Obama has signed a new law that replaces a ban on using the organs of HIV positive people. It has been illegal since the 1980s to even study whether or not transplants between HIV positive people could be done safely and effectively. Under the new HIV Organ Policy Equity Act, also known as the HOPE Act, which Obama signed Thursday, researchers at the Department of Health and Human Services can begin to research best practices for organ transplants between people with HIV.
There is currently no American research on whether or not the transplants will be effective, though there was research published in the American Journal of Transplantation last March that suggested there is potential for almost 500 people on the donor list who are HIV positive to receive organs from HIV positive people every year.
Mark Joseph Stern cheers the law:
The exceedingly rare and relatively minor risk of HIV reinfection pales in comparison to the risk of dying from organ failure. Organ transplantation is highly regulated, and there’s simply no risk of an HIV-negative person accidentally receiving an HIV-positive organ. Lifting the ban will save hundreds of lives every year, increasing the pool of organs available and significantly reducing Medicare costs. For the health care community, it’s pure commonsense—which is why its most vocal Republican supporter is also a licensed physician.
The HOPE Act, in other words, is a great way to start the campaign to end absurd, politically inflicted medical biases against HIV-positive people.
The Dish 