Assemblyman Tom Berryhill has a special -- and personal -- interest in organ transplants because 10 years ago next month he received a heart transplant. Knowing that there's a shortage of donors for all sorts of transplants -- hearts, kidneys, corneas, skin, etc. -- the local Republican introduced what we would consider a common sense bill in the state Legislature.
Assembly Bill 2440, as amended, would have required that inmates be given an organ donor registry form and information along with their intake forms when entering a state prison. They would not be required to fill out or even return the form, only that they be given the opportunity to do so.
We're dumbfounded that AB 2440 was killed last week in a party-line vote in the Assembly Health Committee. Chairman William W. Monning, D-Santa Cruz, led the opposition, citing concern for the "vulnerable" inmate population.
Vulnerable? People don't end up in state prison unless they've been convicted of, or pled guilty to, a serious crime. Furthermore, prison inmates with serious medical conditions can be eligible for organ transplants at state expense. There is no reason they shouldn't be allowed to register to have their organs, cornea or skin donated at the time of their death. Most Californians have the opportunity to register when they receive or renew their drivers' licenses.
Cost was not an issue with this proposal. The paperwork expense would have been minimal. The proposal was supported by Donate Life California and the National Kidney Foundation. It was opposed by the American Civil Liberties Union and on the grounds that an inmate might be coerced or encouraged to sign the donor registration form without informed consent.
We would suggest those concerns were more about process -- the way the proposal might have been implemented -- than about substance.
Berryhill introduced this bill as part of his effort to educate the public about the importance of being organ donors and to increase the organ donor registry. He was understandably outraged that the bill didn't even get to the full Assembly for debate.
"This bill does not force anyone to join the organ registry. It merely provides an opportunity to prison inmates to do something positive and learn about the tremendous gift that organ donors provide," he said.
This was a relatively simple proposal that could have saved lives, especially in rural areas and among minority groups. One-third of the people needing transplants die while on the wait list. It's ridiculous that this bill didn't even get to the Assembly floor for debate.
To learn more about or to register as a potential donor, go to www.donatelifecalifornia.org.
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