Time and again, we get questions that we like to address as part of our “Ask the Organ Donor Expert” series. Frequently a hot topic, we turn today’s question about HIV and transplantation over to our resident expert, Dave Bosch, Director of Communications at Gift of Hope.
-Joslyn
Q: I do know Illinois at one time (not sure if they still do) would allow HIV patients to donate organs to another HIV patient. From what I heard, we are the only state that does allow this, which most people don’t know about.
-Kimberly
Dave Bosch
A:Yes, Illinois does have a law that allows organs to be recovered from HIV+ patients to donate to other HIV+ recipients. However, Federal law still prohibits this practice and supersedes the state law by mandating that all potential HIV+ donors be screened out for donation.
The best thing Illinoisans can do is register their decision to donate now, regardless of their current health conditions, and allow the medical professionals make the determination of eligibility at the appropriate time.
-Dave
