[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 56 (Monday, April 29, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4321-S4322]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. FRIST (for himself, Mr. Levin, Mr. Murkowski, Mr. Dewine, 
        Mr. Warner, Mr. Simon, Mr. McCain, and Mr. Dorgan):
  S. 1713. A bill to establish a congressional commemorative medal for 
organ donors and their families; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, 
and Urban Affairs.


            the gift of life congressional medal act of 1996

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I take great pleasure today in introducing 
the Gift of Life Congressional Medal Act of 1995. I am joined by my 
colleague Mr. Levin in introducing the Senate companion version to 
Representative Stark's bill. With this legislation, which doesn't cost 
taxpayers a penny, Congress has the opportunity to recognize and 
encourage potential donors, and give hope to the 45,120 Americans who 
have end stage organ disease. As a heart and lung transplant surgeon, I 
saw one in four of my patients die because of the lack of available 
donors. Public awareness simply has not kept up with the relatively new 
science of transplantation. As public servants, we need to do all we 
can to raise awareness about the gift of life.
  Under this bill, each donor or donor family will be eligible to 
receive a commemorative congressional medal. It is not expected that 
all families, many of whom wish to remain anonymous, will take 
advantage of this opportunity. The program will be coordinated by the 
regional organ procurement organizations [OPOs] and managed by the 
entity administering the organ procurement and transplantation network. 
Upon request of the family or individual, a public official will 
present the medal to the donor or the family. This creates a wonderful 
opportunity to honor those sharing life through donation and increase 
public awareness. Some researchers have estimated that it may be 
possible to increase the number of organ donations by 80 percent 
through incentive programs and public education.
  As several recent experiences have proved, any one of us, or any 
member of our families, could need a life saving transplant tomorrow. 
We would then be placed on a waiting list to anxiously await our turn, 
or our death. The number of people on the list has doubled since 1990 
and a new name is added to the list every 18 minutes. However, this 
official waiting list reflects only those who have been lucky enough to 
make it into the medical care system and to pass the financial hurdles. 
If you include all those reaching end stage disease, the number of 
people potentially needing organs or bone marrow, very likely over 
100,000, becomes staggering. Only a small fraction of that number would 
ever receive transplants, even if they had adequate insurance. There 
simply are not enough organ and tissue donors, even to meet present 
demand.
  Federal policies surrounding the issue of organ transplantation are 
difficult. Whenever you deal with whether someone lives or dies, there 
are no easy answers. There are close to 15,000 and 20,000 potential 
donors each year, yet inexcusably, there are only some 5,100 actual 
donors. That is why we need you to help us educate others about the 
facts surrounding tissue and organ donation.
  This year, Mr. President, there has been unprecedented cooperation, 
on both sides of the aisle, and a growing commitment to awaken public 
compassion on behalf of those who need organ transplants. It is my very 
great pleasure to introduce this bill on behalf of a

[[Page S4322]]

group of Senators who have already contributed in extremely significant 
ways to the cause of organ transplantation. And we are proud to ask you 
to join us, in encouraging people to give life to others.
                                 ______