[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 63 (Tuesday, May 4, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E844]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             ORGAN DONATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 4, 1999

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, recently, we celebrated National Organ and 
Tissue Donor Awareness Week and today I recognize the medical advances 
that have made organ transplantation a viable treatment option. Thanks 
to those who have given the gift of life, more than 20,000 individuals 
received an organ transplant in 1996.
  However, each year, the number of organs donated in the United States 
falls tragically short of the need. Sadly, more than 55,000 people are 
on the national organ transplant waiting list and about 10 will die 
each day as the waiting lists continue to grow.
  Organ donation is increasing, but not fast enough to come close to 
meeting the need. In recent years, progress has been made in creating 
awareness of the need for organ donation. Most Americans indicate they 
support organ donation. Nonetheless, only about 50 percent of families 
asked to donate a loved one's organs agree to do so. Moreover, 
thousands of opportunities to donate are missed each year, either 
because families do not know what their loved ones wanted, or because 
potential donors are not identified for organ procurement organizations 
and their families are never asked.
  To address these barriers to donation, government and private sector 
partnerships must be focused on * * *
  * * * that we from government and the private sector. But most 
importantly, we need volunteers willing to share the gift of life. To 
achieve this goal, there must be an emphasis on increasing consent to 
donation and referrals to organ procurement organizations.
  However, we must also ensure that our social and work environments 
are amenable to persons serving as donors. That is why I urge support 
of my legislation H.R. 457, the Organ Donor Leave Act, which would 
provide federal employees an additional 7 days to serve as a bone-
marrow donor, and 30 days to serve as an organ donor.
  Passage of this measure would stand as a model for private employees 
to amend their personnel policies to grant additional paid leave to 
living donors who give bone marrow, a kidney, or other organs.
  Without donors, transplant surgeons cannot save even one life. With 
just one donor, they can save and improve as many as 50 lives. I 
believe that we must all pledge to join the national community of organ 
and tissue sharing by closing the gap between donated organs and tissue 
and the people who need them.
  With this commitment, we pave the way for our nation to be able to 
answer the hopes and needs of those who now wait too long for a second 
chance at life.
  I urge support of H.R. 457 and challenge all Americans to say ``yes'' 
to organ and tissue donation.

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