CQ TODAY MIDDAY UPDATE
Dec. 4, 2007 – 12:41 p.m.
House Moving to Facilitate Paired Organ DonationsThe House was expected to pass legislation Tuesday to ease the way for organ donations by unrelated living donors.
The measure seeks to remove potential legal obstacles to paired organ donations.
These occur when a patient in need of a kidney or other organ donation has a living donor — typically a spouse or relative — whose organ is incompatible with that patient. But a second patient needing a kidney donation also has a living donor who is incompatible. If the donor for the second patient has an organ compatible with the first patient, and vice versa, a paired organ donation may take place.
The original version of the House bill clarified that paired kidney donations should not be considered to involve the transfer of a human organ for “valuable consideration.” Therefore, no criminal penalties would apply to paired kidney donations.
While that version applied only to kidney donations, the Senate passed a broader measure that allowed for “human organ paired donation and similar practices.”
The House is ready to go along with broadening the bill to allow paired donations of all human organs, but it insists on eliminating the phrase, “and similar practices.” The Senate now will have to decide whether to accept the House change and send the bill to President Bush for his signature.
http://cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=cqmidday-000002635649
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