Justin B. Terry-Smith has been involved in LGBTQ and HIV Activism since 1999. He is an Air Force 9/11 Disabled Vet. Raised in Silver Spring, MD, he now lives in Albuequerque, New Meixco with his husband Phil. He writes an HIV/STI Advice Column for A&U Magazine, is a Contributing writer for thebody.com, a Life Coach and an Adjunct Professor. He has earned his Doctorate in Public Health with a concentration in Infectious Disease and his Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Justin's HIV Journal: Lifting Ban on HIV Organ Donating
Bans Bans Bans!!! We have bans for a lot of things in this country, but one is about to be lifted. The Senate Heath Education and Pensions Committee have approved the HOPE Act, also known as the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act. The act would lift the federal ban on transplanting HIV positive organs to HIV positive recipients.
The HOPE Act would instruct the Department of Health and Human Service to make up a strategy to be about to transplant the HIV positive organs into HIV positive recipients. This plan would decrease the wait time on people that were listed as HIV positive and negative. Over 40 advocacy groups have endorsed this bill including the United Network for Organ Sharing.
This could save over 1000 lives. We lifted the ban of Don't Ask Don't Tell, HIV Organ Donating, etc. Now we need to act on DOMA and the blood ban. Which do you think will come first? And why?
