Section 7152.1 Of Chapter 3.56. Altruistic Living Donor Registry Act From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 7. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 3.56.
7152.1
. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(1) More than 20,000 Californians are currently waiting for a
lifesaving organ transplant, and over 17,000 of those individuals are
waiting for a kidney transplant. Based on the current trend in organ
donations, one in three of those waiting for a transplant will die.
In 2009, 5,874 Americans died while waiting for a transplant.
(2) On a national level, the number of organ donors increased by 3
percent from the years 2008 to 2009, while the number of organ
donors in California decreased by 2 percent during this same time
period. In 2009, there were only 798 cadaveric donors and 734 living
donors in California.
(3) A decrease in organ donors results in longer stays on the
national organ transplant waiting list and, consequently, more deaths
among those patients who are waiting.
(4) The national organ transplant waiting list, which is
maintained by the United Network for Organ Sharing, is growing at the
rate of approximately 40,000 persons per year. A name is added to
this national database every 13 minutes.
(5) Since 2005, more than six million Californians have registered
to donate their organs and tissue upon death.
(6) However, no registry exists in California for those
individuals who wish to be an altruistic living organ donor.
(b) The use of anatomical gifts, and the donation of organs for
the purpose of transplantation, are of great value to the citizens of
California and may save or prolong the life, or improve the health
of, extremely ill and dying individuals.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature to increase the number of
individuals who identify themselves as potential organ donors. It is
further the intent of the Legislature to establish a statewide
Altruistic Living Donor Registry to expedite the match between organ
donors and recipients and to encourage charitable contributions to
support the registry.