Within six months’ time HIV testing will become part of routine prenatal care in New Jersey, after a bill was signed into law on Wednesday.

Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey signed the measure into law Wednesday at University Hospital in Newark, according to the Associated Press, and the law is to take effect in six months. Codey sponsored the bill as the Senate president, reports the AP. He is the acting governor while Gov. Jon S. Corzine is out of the country this week for the holidays.

Under the new law, all pregnant women in New Jersey will be tested for HIV as part of their prenatal care unless they specifically choose not to. Newborns will also be tested when the mother has tested positive or when her HIV status is unknown.

New Jersey thus joins a select few states with laws requiring prenatal testing.

According to the Kaiser Foundation, a nonprofit research organization focusing on health care, New Jersey is the first state to adopt HIV testing for both pregnant women and newborns.

Health care providers are required to test mothers for HIV in Arkansas, Michigan, Tennessee and Texas, but the mother does have the option of refusing testing. Connecticut, Illinois and New York test all newborns for HIV, according to the foundation.

The new law requires that women be tested early in their pregnancies and again in their third trimesters unless they refuse.

Should a woman refuse testing, this will be noted and her newborn baby will undergo an HIV test, unless the mother has religious objections, adds the New York Times.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HIV testing during pregnancy can significantly reduce the risks of mother-to-child HIV transmission, from 25 percent to just 2 percent.

If a pregnant woman tests positive for HIV, infection of the baby can be prevented, through the prescription of antiretroviral drugs and a Caesarian section delivery.

The CDC recommends all pregnant women be tested for HIV, though voluntarily.

The Kaiser Foundation estimates that New Jersey has around 17,600 AIDS cases, with 32.4 percent of the cases being women. With a national average of 23.4 percent, New Jersey presents the third highest rate in the nation.