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To: Contract decisionmakers at the Health Resources and Services Administration and Lawmakers on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Stop For-Profit Takeover of Organ Donation: Make Congress Protect Lives!

We're rallying Congress and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to defend the life-saving U.S. organ donation and transplant system, ensuring it remains free from profit-driven control.

On July 27, Congress passed H.R.2544 / S.1668, a bill that allows for-profit companies to take over the organ donation and transplant system without having any experience in this work and without any limit to the amount of funding they could be paid by the government.

We refuse to let that become a reality! Preserving the nonprofit status of the system is essential for placing patients and donors at the forefront, rather than monetary gains. Organ donation has been a source of hope, saving countless lives. We firmly oppose any changes that put profits over human lives.

This fall, HRSA will begin accepting bids from both non-profits and for-profits to run various components of the transplant system. We urge the agency to keep altruism at the core of the system and choose nonprofits to manage this vital work – most importantly the policymaking, which governs how patients are prioritized on organ waitlists.

At the same time, we urge Congress to revise H.R.2544 / S.1668 to disallow for-profit companies from taking over the system. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) has the power to do that. Otherwise, even if HRSA picks non-profits this year, there would be nothing in U.S. law preventing for-profits from taking over later.

Join our united front and demand that our government acts responsibly. Sign the petition today to safeguard patients, honor the sanctity of organ donation, and ensure universal accessibility.

Why is this important?

The magnitude of this legislation passing cannot be underestimated. It marks a shift in focus from serving those in dire need to favoring those who can afford to pay the most. This blatant disregard for the core principle of organ donation, which is to save lives based on medical urgency, not financial capabilities, is a betrayal of the trust bestowed upon organ donors. We cannot let profit-driven motives erode the fairness and ethical foundations of organ transplantation. We must raise our voices and protect a system that unequivocally values life over financial gain.

By removing a legal requirement that has been in place for nearly forty years, which mandates only nonprofits with experience in this field can bid on contracts to manage the system, the door is opened for profit-seeking entities to exploit the vulnerable and turn the selfless and altruistic gifts of donor heroes into transactional commodities.

We refuse to compromise the profound impact of organ donation by placing financial gain above human well-being.

This petition invites all who have been touched by the miraculous act of organ donation – including transplant patients and waiting candidates, organ donor family members, caregivers, and concerned citizens – to have our voices heard and demand the federal government acts responsibly. Our petition does not represent any particular organizations, associations or other groups within or outside of the organ donation and transplant system, nor are we doing this in the interest of any such groups. We are patients and donor families, parents and friends, and everyday men and women who in one way or another have been touched by the noble gift of organ donation and the lifesaving surgeries it enables. We also do not oppose any true efforts to improve the organ donation and transplant system. However, we oppose seeing those efforts subverted to the benefit of for-profit companies, which would jeopardize human lives.

Let us stand united in protecting the lives of patients, honoring the generous gift of organ donation, and safeguarding the nonprofit status of our organ donation and transplant system.
Sign this petition today and add your voice to the rising chorus of those who believe that compassion, not profit, must guide the U.S. organ transplant system. Together, we can ensure that organ donation remains unyielding, accessible, and dedicated only to the welfare of those in need.

Updates

2023-07-19 12:46:56 -0400

Thank you to everyone who helped surpass 6,000 signatures!

It’s time we take our message to Congress. On July 19th, I sent a letter on our behalf to the Congressional committees that have the power to protect transplant patients and organ donors by keeping the organ donation and transplant system non-profit. Please visit the link below to read the letter and share it with your senators and representatives.
Call or email their offices, tell them about this petition, explain the dangers of a for-profit system, and urge them to take a stand for patients and donors.

You can read the letter here: https://tinyurl.com/2x26apwx

You can find your members of Congress by going to: http://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

2023-07-18 12:41:01 -0400

5,000 signatures reached

2023-07-01 14:28:11 -0400

Thank you so much to those who stand with the patients, families, and warriors this system has saved!

With any system, there is always room for improvement.

That improvement does not need to come at the cost of lives.

Let’s build on the system we already have - not tear it down in order to benefit the wealthy!

Please continue to share and encourage others to sign!

Thank you for all you do!
More life!

2023-06-24 02:34:33 -0400

1,000 signatures reached

2023-06-23 12:16:31 -0400

It is absolutely amazing that we have almost hit 1,000 signatures!
THANK YOU to all who have signed and/or shared!

Let's keep it going! Please share with your networks, family, and friends!
Share your story! Let them know this is not just another petition.

People's lives are at stake. Let's be sure their lives are prioritized above corporate interests!

2023-06-15 09:09:02 -0400

We’ve hit over 500 signatures in less than a week since this petition was first started!
Thank you all so much for standing against for-profit control of organ donation. Let’s keep spreading the word and oppose H.R. 2544 and S. 1668 to protect transplant recipients and the gift of organ donation.

Here’s how you can keep helping:

1. Share the petition on social media: Use the hashtag #DontProfitOffOrgans and let’s make this go viral! Here is a link to images you can use: https://tinyurl.com/mvyvm864

2. Tell your communities: Encourage your friends, family, coworkers and neighbors to read the petition and join us. Every signature counts.

3. Reach out: This is OUR petition, and I want to hear from you. If you have ideas on how to keep boosting this campaign, then let’s do it!

Let's keep working together towards a future where organ donations and transplants remain a selfless and altruistic beacon of hope for all who need it. I will be in touch with more updates.

2023-06-14 22:48:33 -0400

500 signatures reached

2023-06-07 15:46:45 -0400

100 signatures reached

2023-06-07 14:40:33 -0400

50 signatures reached

2023-06-07 14:27:07 -0400

25 signatures reached

2023-06-07 14:21:29 -0400

10 signatures reached