James M. Jeffords: “today, Valentine's Day, provides a wonderful opportunity for me to offer my support for the Organ Donation and Recovery…”

“today, Valentine's Day, provides a wonderful opportunity for me to offer my support for the Organ Donation and Recovery Improvement Act. I commend my colleagues, Senator Frist of Tennessee and Senator Dodd of Connecticut, for their leadership and commitment to this important issue. Organ transplantation provides perhaps the clearest example where scientific research has been translated and applied to modern medicine. Not too many years ago organ transplantation was associated with inconsistent success and numerous complications. Today these procedures have advanced to the point where success is commonplace. Not only the duration of life, but the quality of life, is improved. I have carried an organ donor card in my wallet for more than twenty-five years, and I am a long-time organ donation supporter. In my home State of Vermont, Representative Johannah Donovan has introduced a bill to allow for the creation of a donor registry through the Department of Motor Vehicles. It is an excellent example of trying to make the organ donor process easier and more efficient. So, I am proud to join my colleagues as an original sponsor in this effort to increase organ donation at the national level. Even though great strides have been made in organ procurement and distribution, problems remain, and those issues are addressed by this legislation.”