House Clarifies Organ Donation Law

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Politics

House Clarifies Organ Donation Law

By BEN EVANS, The Associated Press
Mar 7, 2007 3:04 PM

WASHINGTON - The House Wednesday approved by a 422-0 vote legislation named for the late Georgia Rep. Charlie Norwood, that organ donor groups say could lead to many more kidney transplants each year.

The "Charlie W. Norwood Living Organ Donation Act," which the Senate is expected to adopt soon, would specify that "paired" kidney donations don't violate laws against trading organs for compensation. Paired donations allow a patient with a willing but biologically incompatible donor - such as a friend or family member - to match up with a similarly incompatible pair so both patients can get transplants.

Such pairings already happen occasionally. But because questions remain about their legality, some hospitals refuse to participate and there is no formal matchmaking system to expand their use nationally.

Norwood, a Republican dentist from Augusta, was diagnosed with a chronic lung disease in 1998 and sat on a waiting list before getting a transplant in 2004. He later developed cancer and died last month at age 65.

He introduced the bill in January with Seattle-area Democrat Jay Inslee. Along with its health benefits, sponsors touted congressional budget estimates that the legislation would save nearly $500 million in Medicare costs over 10 years as transplant recipients no longer need dialysis.

"This is a fitting tribute to Charlie's tireless efforts to improve our nation's health care system and his legacy as a patient advocate," Inslee said.

Kidneys are the most commonly transplanted organs.

Through the first 11 months of 2006, there were 15,721 such transplants from living and deceased donors, according to United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). But there are more than 70,000 people waiting for kidney donations.

A recent study found that kidney transplants from living donors could increase by 14 percent - possibly more than 1,000 per year - with an improved pairing system.

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On the Net: http://www.unos.org/

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