Organ donation

“ To make organ donation more viable, I recently signed into law the Organ Donation and Recovery Improvement Act. The Act authorizes the awarding of grants for travel reimbursement to potential donors and helps to increase public awareness and education about organ donation programs.
After a person decides to be a donor, one of the most important things he or she needs to do is talk with family members about this decision. Many opportunities are missed each year because families do not know what their loved ones wanted. ”

“ I urge all health care professionals, educators, the media, public and private organizations concerned with organ donation and transplantation, and all Americans to join me in supporting this humanitarian action. In the memory of their loved ones, and in the life they have shared with others, Nancy Thurmond and all other organ donors will live on. ”

“ More donors are needed to meet the needs of those on the national waiting list for life-saving transplants. When considering organ donation, Americans should consult family members to ensure that loved ones are fully aware of the donor's decisions. Joining the ranks of organ donors is simple. I encourage Americans to learn more about becoming a donor at www.organdonor.gov. ”

“ But it is each American family and each citizen who makes organ and tissue donorship work. The generosity of organ and tissue donation is a very private matter between individuals and God, the giver of life. So, as all of us rejoice this springtime on the hope and promise of life, let us also think about signing organ and tissue donor cards. We keep that promise alive by helping others in need. ”

“ Thousands of Americans will wait this year for a well-matched organ or tissue to become available. For some, no donor may be found. The decision to volunteer as an organ donor is a significant act of personal sacrifice. Fortunately, knowledge about organ donorship has spread in recent years. Groups in our communities stand ready to answer questions about organ and tissue donation. ”

“ SPEIER. Madam Speaker, today, 17 Americans awaiting organ transplants will die because a suitable donor was not available. These will be our mothers, fathers, children, and friends--some of the 100,000 of our fellow Americans on the national organ transplant waiting list. ”

“ During times of crisis and calm, Americans have looked beyond themselves to aid friends and strangers alike. This spirit of giving represents a hallmark of our national character. Many Americans have followed this tradition of generosity through organ, tissue, and marrow donation. These selfless individuals have saved lives and strengthened families and communities, and they deserve respect and admiration for their contributions. I urge all Americans to follow these examples by considering becoming an organ, tissue, or marrow donor. ”

“ During National Donate Life Month, we continue to work to raise donation awareness, help people get the information they need to become donors, and recognize those who have chosen to donate.
Organ donors share the precious gift of life with others and demonstrate the compassionate spirit of our Nation. Most people are eligible to donate organs, tissue, or bone marrow. They can join the donor registry in their State, indicate donations on their driver's license, or complete and carry a donor card. Through these measures, Americans help others in need to live longer and healthier lives. ”

“ I call upon our citizens to sign an organ and tissue donor card and to be screened for bone marrow donation. I also urge health care professionals, volunteers, educators, government agencies, and private organizations to help raise awareness of the important need for organ and tissue donors in communities throughout our Nation. ”

“ Individuals can learn more about becoming an organ and tissue donor at www.organdonor.gov. By saying yes to organ and tissue donation on their driver's licenses, adding their name to donor registries, or talking about their decision with family and friends, citizens help save lives and contribute to a more compassionate and hopeful society. ”

“ Encouragement of organ and tissue donation must always be accompanied, of course, by thorough reflection and complete information. Recent medical and technological developments are posing new moral and ethical questions about transplantation in certain circumstances. Individuals, and society as a whole, must carefully consider these questions so that we never undercut our reverence for the sanctity God vests equally in the life of every person, from the moment of conception until natural death. ”

“ Unfortunately, even though this country has an adequate supply of individuals who qualify as organ donors, many people have still not chosen to become one. Patients in truly desperate circumstances are depending on their fellow Americans to choose to become organ and tissue donors. ”

“ For many people across our country, receiving an organ or tissue transplant means relief from suffering and a marked improvement in the quality of their lives. For others, it literally means the difference between life and death. And the demand for such donations continues to grow. In the last six years, the number of people on the national organ transplant list has doubled, from more than 30,000 in 1993 to more than 62,000 patients today. ”

“ The project will stress education for doctors, State highway police, hospital officials, and others on the need to consider organ donorship when accidental death occurs.
America has faced shortage in the past of everything from nylons during World War II to oil in the 1970's. But modern medical science has provided us with a new shortage—a shortage of living organs: livers, hearts, lungs, eyes, kidneys. I urge all Americans to fill out donor cards, little cards you carry in your wallet or purse that, in the event of your death, offer the hope of life to others. ”

“ Americans are giving people. In many of the eases where these very expensive operations are essential, local citizens have raised money to help the families in need. I've already mentioned the community support given to Ashley. Well, not far from Washington, Morningside, Maryland, raised over $100,000 for the Goode family, whose little Nicky needs a transplant.
That kind of caring should make us all proud to be American. We can save more of our children and adults through organ donorship. Organ donors offer the greatest gift of all—the gift of life. ”

“ On several occasions during the last year, I have asked the American people to be aware of the opportunities to donate their organs, and I have made special pleas for small children in need of liver transplants. The response proved to be overwhelming. Tragically, however, many desperately ill persons, including small children, have died while awaiting a suitable organ. ”