Committee Advances Senator Hassan’s Legislation to Prevent Discrimination Against Patients with Disabilities in Organ Transplant System

WASHINGTON - The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted to advance Senator Maggie Hassan's Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act, a bipartisan bill that will ensure that patients in need of an organ transplant are not discriminated against solely on the basis of a disability. The bill is named after Charlotte Woodward, an advocate with Down syndrome who received a heart transplant nine years ago and has fought to raise the issue of organ transplant discrimination across the country.

"No one should be denied a life-saving organ transplant just because they have a disability," said Senator Hassan. "This bipartisan legislation helps ensure that people with disabilities have fair and equal access to live-saving organ transplants. I'm pleased to see this important measure advance with strong bipartisan support, and I will continue to work to help people with disabilities get the care that they need and deserve."

More than 25 states currently prohibit organ transplantation discrimination. However, discrepancies among state laws and delays in delivering relief to patients has made enforcement difficult. The Charlotte Woodward Act sets a baseline for states by clarifying that providers must comply with the protections afforded to patients with disabilities. The bill also provides expedited injunctive relief through federal courts for patients and families that experienced discrimination due to a disability in the transplantation process.

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