[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 14, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S1396]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. FRIST (for himself, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Murray, 
        and Mr. Thurmond):
  S. 325. A bill to establish a congressional commemorative medal for 
organ donors and their families; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, 
and Urban Affairs.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I am pleased today to introduce the Gift of 
Life Congressional Medal Act of 2001. This legislation, which does not 
cost taxpayers a penny, will recognize the thousands of individuals 
each year who share the gift of life through organ donation. Moreover, 
it will encourage potential donors and enhance public awareness of the 
importance of organ donation to the over 74,000 Americans waiting for a 
transplant.
  In 1999, there were almost 22,000 transplants--a large increase over 
the roughly 13,000 transplants performed ten years ago. However, the 
demand for transplants has skyrocketed, more than tripling in the past 
ten years.
  As a heart and lung transplant surgeon, I saw one in four of my 
patients die because of the lack of available donors, and more and more 
patients waiting for an organ transplant die each year before they can 
receive an organ. More than 6000 patients died in 1999 before they 
could receive a transplant. Since 1988, more than 38,000 patients have 
died because of the lack of organ donors. There are simply not enough 
organ donors; public awareness has not kept up with the rapid advances 
of transplantation. It is our duty to do all we can to raise awareness 
about the gift of life.
  Last fall, the Department of Health and Human Services announced an 
increase of nearly 4 percent in organ donation levels. While I was 
pleased to see this news, this is only a small step towards addressing 
our nation's organ shortage. Much more remains to be done.
  The Gift of Life Congressional Medal Act will make each donor or 
donor family eligible to receive a commemorative Congressional medal. 
This creates a tremendous opportunity to honor those sharing life 
through donation and increase public awareness of this issue.
  Recent years have witnessed a tremendous coalescing on both sides of 
the aisle around the importance of awakening public compassion and 
awareness of those needing organ transplants. I appreciate the growing 
support for this issue and look forward to working with my colleagues 
to encourage people to give life to others.
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