President Obama announced Friday that he will reverse a ban that prevents individuals with HIV from getting visas for travel to the U.S. or becoming permanent U.S. residents. The president announced his decision to reverse the ban during the signing of the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides funding for programs that aid low-income individuals suffering from HIV/AIDS. The act was named for a teenager from Indiana who contracted HIV from a contaminated blood transfusion and died of AIDS at age 19 in 1990. The act is the largest provider of funding in the country for individuals with HIV/AIDS.

The HIV travel ban was enacted in 1987 and put HIV on the list of diseases that prohibits travelers from entering the U.S. President Obama said the reversal of the ban is a step toward removing the stigma many people associate with HIV/AIDS. The United States is one of only a dozen countries who prohibit the entry of travelers with HIV. Obama described the reversal as “a step that will encourage people to get tested and get treatment, it's a step that will keep families together, and it's a step that will save lives.” The reversal of the ban will officially take effect in early 2010.