Government leaders in multiple states have been debating ways to encourage more Americans to register as organ donors so that their kidneys, liver and other vital organs can be used to save the lives of others. At any one time, more than 121,000 people in the U.S. are awaiting organ donations – more than enough to fill two large football stadiums, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. But there is a large and widening gap between the need for organs and the donations being made.
In most cases, donors are being asked to allow their organs, eyes or tissue to be used after their death. But living donations also are being encouraged. In February 2016, the Wisconsin Senate passed a bill that would allow living donors of organs to take a leave of absence from work to recover. The same month, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts signed a bill allowing drivers to keep their organ donor status until they ask for it to be changed – instead of requiring all drivers to update their status every time they renew their licenses. Also in February 2016, the New York Senate unanimously passed a four-year extension of a law designed to increase organ donations in that state. Continue reading