Help end discrimination of organ transplants for people with disabilities

Momentum is calling on Congress to approve the bipartisan H.R.1235, the Charlotte Wood Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act. The bill, authored by Katie Porter (CA-45) and Jaime Herrera Beutler (OR-3), would prohibit doctors, hospitals, transplant centers and other healthcare providers from denying qualified people with disabilities the opportunity to access life-saving organ transplants solely on the basis of disability.

A 2008 study by the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics found 85 percent of organ transplant centers surveyed considered disability when deciding if a patient should be on an organ transplant list while 44 percent of centers admitted they would deny an organ transplant to a child with some level of neurodevelopmental disability.

This bill would also eliminate ambiguities in the California Uniform Anatomical Gifts Act which protects Californians with disabilities from denial of organs transplants thereby strengthening the rights of all people to life-saving medical procedures and reaffirms our belief in the intrinsic value of every person. 

All advocates are encouraged to call on your Member of Congress to support H.R.1235, the Charlotte Wood Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act. Please take five minutes and make your voice heard here.

You can also read a parent’s perspective on the issue written at Slate.