The Peace Corps agreed to end restrictions for people who have HIV, according to a statement by the American Civil Liberties Union (aclu.org, 7/30).

Instead of ending volunteer service, Peace Corps policy will require individual assessments for positive volunteers to determine ways to protect their health and allow them to continue serving.

The ACLU’s involvement came after Jeremiah Johnson, a volunteer stationed in Ukraine, was sent home after testing positive for the virus. Johnson’s story quickly hit the press, including the cover of the July/August 2008 issue of POZ.

“We are very pleased that the Peace Corps has acknowledged that it cannot legally terminate volunteers automatically merely because they test positive for HIV,” says Rebecca Shore, a staff attorney with the ACLU.