Under the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act, a law signed by President Obama with bipartisan support, the Department of Health and Human Services can now begin to legally research standards for organ transplants between HIV-infected patients. In 1988, a time of great fear and uncertainty about AIDS and HIV, an amendment to the National Organ Transplant Act made it illegal to transplant any organ of any individual with HIV.

On Feb. 14, National Donor Day, the Hope Act was first introduced in both houses of Congress. It was drafted by Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA), a registered nurse, along with Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK). The bill was co-led by Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (R-MD).

In a statement posted to WhiteHouse.gov shortly after the law was enacted, Obama called the ban “outdated.” “For decades, these organ transplants have been illegal. It was even illegal to study whether they could be safe and effective,” it read. “The HOPE Act marks an important step in the right direction, and I thank Congress for their action.”

Eric Price, a donation specialist with Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network, said that lifting the ban is “great news” for both the transplant and HIV research communities. “It is a great thing to see that there are more people that can now be helped through organ and tissue donation, and it underscores the need for more people to sign up to be an organ donor because their are so many who need and who can receive help,” Price told Life Matters Media.

HHS is now required to annually review the results of the medical research with the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network in order to help determine whether the results warrant these types of transplants becoming a standard of care for HIV-infected patients. The American Medical Association supported the HOPE Act, along with numerous patient and medical organizations- including the American Civil Liberties Union, the United Network for Organ Sharing and the Human Rights Campaign.

“Due to advances in HIV treatment and care, many HIV-infected people are living longer, with antiretroviral drugs that can keep their viral loads at almost undetectable levels. As these patients age, however, the virus puts them at higher risk for organ failure and they require organ transplants sooner than uninfected people with organ failure,” Dr. James L. Madara, CEO and executive vice president of the American Medical Association, wrote in a letter to the House of Representatives before the law was passed.

According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Transplantation, allowing HIV-positive organ donation to HIV-infected patients could save hundreds of lives each year.