Massachusetts proposal to coerce organ donation

[redbird]

A Massachusetts legislator is introducing a bill that would coerce prisoners to donate organs and bone marrow:


"Mass. Prisoners Could Choose Between Freedom And Their Organs"

Please, if you live or vote in Massachusetts, write to your state legislator to oppose this bill.

This is what I wrote to Rep. Honan, in case a script would be useful. (As usual, if you live in the same district, rewriting rather than sending the same exact message would probably be more effective.)

I am writing to urge you to oppose HD.3822. This proposed law would pressure incarcerated citizens to donate organs and bone marrow by offering a reduction in their sentences.

We are rightly horrified at news that China is forcing prisoners to donate organs. It would be equally wrong for Massachusetts to pressure them to do so.

Donating organs is never risk-free. Prisoners do not reliably have access to good medical care, and neither do people who were recently released from prison.

Also, this proposal may be a violation of federal law. It's illegal to pay for organ donations, or to offer donors any significant compensation. This would probably include a reduction in someone's time in prison.

(I got this from minoanmiss.)

Comments

[magenta]

Obviously they haven't read Larry Niven's organlegger stories - or maybe they had.

[technoshaman]

I came here to say "Organleggers!"...

It's not a bl---y MANUAL...

[joseph_teller]

I'm passing along the link to folks over on my Pillowfort account and Diaspora as this was the very first I heard about it and it needs to be exposed. Horribly unethical action by the politicians that filed it.

[redbird]

Thanks, please spread the word.

[sabotabby]

Jesus Christ.

[readerjane]

Yikes. How much more cheaply held is a prisoner’s life if his organs are a commodity?

[otter]

Well, this is horrible.

[ofearthandstars]

WTAF. Thanks for bringing this up on the radar. How horrifying.

[meepettemu]

Eww. How awful :(