Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act

Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act

This bill aims to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities when they are being considered for organ transplants. Under current practices in some cases, people with certain disabilities — including intellectual or developmental disabilities — have reportedly been denied access to organ transplants or moved lower on transplant waiting lists partly because of their disability status. This legislation would make it illegal for transplant programs and medical professionals to deny someone an organ transplant, or treat them differently in the transplant process, simply because they have a disability.

The bill would affect patients with disabilities who need organ transplants, as well as the hospitals, transplant centers, and medical teams involved in the transplant process. It would require that decisions about who receives an organ be based on medical factors relevant to the transplant's success, rather than on assumptions or generalizations about a person's quality of life due to their disability. Patients who believe they have been discriminated against would likely have legal options to challenge those decisions.

The bill is named after Charlotte Woodward, a woman with Down syndrome who successfully received a heart transplant and became an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities to receive equal consideration in medical care. The legislation reflects broader efforts to ensure that people with disabilities receive equal treatment in healthcare settings. It has been introduced in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions for further review.