Ask any organ transplant patient and they will tell you, through tears of gratitude, about the gift of life. They will talk about the enormity of the gift and the miracle that it brought their family.
It happened for dozens of families at Nebraska Health System last year where more than 200 organ transplants were performed. Of them, 150 donations came from people whose untimely death brought the chance of life for someone they had never met. That is the wonder of organ and tissue donation.
As it stands now in Nebraska, someone who wants to donate their organs and tissue must sign a donor card or drivers’ license and tell their family about their wishes. It is then up to the grieving family to decide whether to go ahead with the donation.
A bill before the Nebraska Legislature would change that process by honoring the donor’s signature. The bill, which has been in the works for several years, would bring Nebraska in line with 30 other states that already have what is called “First Person Legislation.”
“This bill empowers each individual to make their own educated decision on organ and tissue donation,” said Kolleen Thompson, R.N., manager of NHS Organ Recovery Services. “It would not require additional family consent.”
Thompson has been working with the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Ed Schrock of Elm Creek, to get it to the floor of the Unicameral. The bill reads in part, “the rights of the donee created by the gift are paramount to the rights of others.”
The bill is one of two initiatives that state senators will see this year. Also expected to be introduced: an organ donor registry bill. Currently 21 states have a registry and 15 states have both the registry and first person legislation. By passing both bills, Nebraska will become a leader in organ and tissue donation legislation just as Nebraska is a leader in organ transplantation, Thompson said.