California Rushes to Approve HIV-Transplant Bill

California rushed to approve legislation Friday that would allow a man with HIV to receive part of his HIV-positive husband's liver before the surgery becomes too dangerous, possibly within weeks. The federal government recently authorized transplants of HIV-infected organs to patients who have the disease, but it still had been illegal in California and more than a dozen other states. The state Legislature rushed to approve the measure Friday, and Gov. Jerry Brown signed it, the AP reports. Brown spokeswoman Deborah Hoffman says it's "a life-saving matter."

The University of California, San Francisco Medical Center is one of four US hospitals authorized to transplant HIV-infected organs. Transplant surgeon Dr. Peter Stock says he hopes to perform the operation quickly, but he'll need time to do tests and preparation on the patients after getting the green light from lawmakers. There are 65 HIV-positive patients waiting for kidney or liver transplants at the hospital. (More California stories.)