Illinois Senate Approves Bill That Would Allow HIV-Positive Residents To Donate Organs to Other HIV-Positive People

The Illinois Senate on Wednesday approved 55-2 a bill (HB 3857) that would allow HIV-positive residents to donate their organs to other residents living with HIV, the AP/Yahoo! News reports (AP/Yahoo! News, 5/5). The bill, which was approved by the House in March, would make Illinois the first state to allow organ transplants between HIV-positive people. However, Illinois would be required to continue to work with the United Network for Organ Sharing -- which manages the U.S. organ transplant system -- to revise rules that bar organ transplants that involve HIV/AIDS patients. Under current rules, organs from HIV-positive people are discarded. However, some physicians maintain that HIV-infected organs could help extend the lives of some HIV-positive patients. State Rep. Larry McKeon (D), who sponsored the bill and is HIV-positive, said that the legislation is "about saving lives and prolonging lives." Some opponents of the bill said that the legislation could lead to the mistaken transplant of an HIV-infected organ into an HIV-negative individual (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 3/15). The bill now goes to Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) for consideration. A spokesperson for Blagojevich said that he has not "had a chance to look at the bill closely enough" to determine if he will sign it, according to the AP/Yahoo! News (AP/Yahoo! News, 5/5).