The Department of Health and Human Services launched a new national initiative on April 17 to encourage and enable Americans to become organ donors.
The Gift of Life Donation Initiative will encourage organ and tissue donation, registration for bone marrow donation, and the donation of blood.
According to a press release issued by HHS, components of the
program include:
* The launch of a national "Workplace Partnership for
Life," in which employers and employee organizations will join a nationwide
network to promote organ donation
* The release of a model organ and tissue
donor card
* A review of the potential of organ and tissue registries where
donor wishes could be recorded electronically and made available to families
and hospitals whenever they are needed
* The eventual creation of a medal
to honor the families of organ donors and the creation of a model curriculum on
donation for use in driver education courses.
"This is just the beginning," said HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. "This initiative sets out to aggressively increase organ donation throughout America. It lays the foundation upon which we can create the most comprehensive effort yet in our nation regarding donation and transplantation."
In a statement lauding the initiative, the United Network for Organ Sharing said: "Each of these initiatives will help present a concentrated, consistent approach to help people make and share the life-giving commitment of organ and tissue donation."
However, bioethicist Arthur Caplan, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania says that the new plan "will not work." For instance, he writes in an opinion piece posted by MSNBC, giving medals to families of organ donors "makes donation an act of heroism. It isn't. Acting as an organ donor is something that everyone should simply be expected to do because it is the right, the humane and the decent thing to do with your body when you die."
For Your Information:
HHS posts its statement at www.hhs.gov/news/press/2001pres/20010417.html.
UNOS posts its statement at www.unos.org/Newsroom/archive_statement_20010418_HRSA_NOTDAW.htm.
Dr. Caplan's column is at www.msnbc.com/news/560295.asp?cp1=1
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