Gift of Life Michigan Announces State Senate Support of Organ Donation Cause by Passing Senate Bill 817, the 'Organ and Tissue Donation Education Fund'

July 21, 2004

Ann Arbor MI /PRNewswire/ -- Senate Bill 817 is the favorite of at least 2,674 Michigan residents who are awaiting an organ transplant. Unanimously passed by the Senate on July 1, 2004, the bill proposes a public education trust fund to help encourage people to become registered organ donors. The bill enables the Secretary of State to provide an opportunity for individuals to make a minimum donation of $1 to the Education Fund in conjunction with the issuance of a driver's license.

Educating people about the critical shortage of organs and the importance of becoming a registered organ donor is paramount to the cause. While national market research indicates that over 85% of the general public approves of organ donation, a meager 7% of Michigan residents are actually registered donors. Sadly, this gap results in many needless deaths -- 70 people have died waiting for an organ transplant in Michigan so far this year.

Gift of Life Michigan, the state's full-service organ and tissue recovery organization, believes public education is critical to increasing registered donors. The Gift of Life Organ, Tissue & Eye Donor Registry is a confidential, 24-hours-a-day, computerized database that documents residents' wishes regarding organ, tissue and eye donation. Since Gift of Life is contacted upon every hospital death, signing the Donor Registry is the best way to ensure a person's wishes are carried out. Unfortunately, most people are simply unaware of the Registry's existence. Gift of Life Michigan is confident that an ongoing public awareness campaign showcasing organ donation would inspire Michigan residents to sign the Donor Registry.

"Michigan lags far behind in donor registrants and rate of organ donation," explains Tom Beyersdorf, Executive Director for Gift of Life Michigan. "We are optimistic that this legislation will pass and permit the public education funding so desperately needed in Michigan to strengthen the Donor Registry and ultimately provide more people with the precious gift of life."

If Senate Bill 817 gains approval by the House of Representatives and the Governor this fall, Michigan will join seventeen other states that have passed similar legislation. These states have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars every year for programs to encourage people to become registered organ donors, resulting in an average registration rate of 40%. More registered donors equals more saved lives, which is the battle cry for this vital social cause.

To become a registered donor, sign up online at giftoflifemichigan.org or request a donor registry card by contacting the Gift of Life Public Education Department at 800-482-4881.

Source: Gift of Life Michigan.

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This article posted August 11, 2004.