CHICAGO – Individuals living with HIV will no longer have to fear prosecution thanks to a new law sponsored by State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago).

“The criminalization of HIV does not line up with current science,” Peters said. “These laws are outdated, dangerous, and discriminatory, and have no place in modern society. Starting today, individuals who are living with this difficult medical condition will no longer have to worry about experiencing legal consequences for simply living their lives.”

The new law repeals the portion of the criminal code that gave prosecutors the ability to charge individuals living with HIV with a Class 2 Felony for having consensual sex, sharing needles, or donating organs or bodily tissues and fluids. Notably, actual transmission was not required under previous law, and HIV was the only communicable disease for which a person could face criminal liability.

“This new law will go a long way toward removing the stigma surrounding HIV and other sexually transmitted conditions and allow folks living with them to get the medical treatment they need,” Peters said.

House Bill 1063, which is effective immediately, had received bipartisan support in both chambers of the General Assembly and was signed into law Tuesday.