Overview
People with physical and intellectual disabilities face discrimination on organ transplant lists. Despite federal protection, people with disabilities still do not receive equal consideration for organ transplants. Because of a lack of federal enforcement, there is a demonstrated need for state action to ensure the rights of people with disabilities including Down syndrome.
Currently, these states have laws in place that prohibit this discrimination:
- California (AB 2861) (1996)
- New Jersey (SB1456) (2013)
- Maryland (SB 792) (2015)
- Massachusetts (Chapter 328) (2016)
- Oregon (HB 2839) (2017)
- Delaware (HB 21) (2017)
- Kansas (HB 2343) (2018)
- Ohio (HB 332) (2018)
- Pennsylvania (Act 90) (2018)
- Washington (HB 5405) (2019)
- Louisiana (HB 143) (2019)
- Indiana (SB 112) (2019)
- Virginia (HB 1273) (2020)
- Iowa (HF 2561) (2020)
Toolkit
NDSS has compiled the following resources to assist those who wish to bring a bill to their state legislature regarding nondiscrimination in organ transplantation for people with disabilities:
- Organ Transplantation and People with Disabilities: A Toolkit for State Advocates from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)
- Organ Transplantation Advocate Guide from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)
- Organ Transplantation Policy Brief from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) (March 2013)
- Sample Fact Sheet from Massachusetts
- Sample Fact Sheet from Maryland
- Sample testimony from Massachusetts
- Sample coalition testimony from Maryland
- Charlotte Woodward of NDSS testimony in the Virginia State Senate