ALBANY (AP) -- A coalition of lawmakers, medical specialists and the New York Organ Donor Network are pushing legislation that would make New York the first state to presume its citizens are willing to donate their organs.
The legislation would revise state motor vehicle and health laws to automatically enroll all applicants for driver licenses as potential organ donors unless they choose otherwise. Currently, they must actively choose to allow their organs to be taken for transplant when they die.
The measure has more than a dozen sponsors in the Legislature. They say only 11 percent of eligible New Yorkers are enrolled, compared to the national average of 43 percent. About 10,000 New Yorkers are on the national waiting list for organs.
On the Net:
New York State Organ and Tissue Registry:
http://www.health.state.ny.us/professionals/patients/donation/organ/
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