Chris Dodd: “For tragic reasons, organ donation has been in the spotlight of late. On Saturday, February 23, 2002, 17-year-old…”

“For tragic reasons, organ donation has been in the spotlight of late. On Saturday, February 23, 2002, 17-year-old Jessica Santillan died after receiving organs from a donor with an incompatible blood type. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt condolences to Jessica's family and friends. While it is critical to understand how mistakes led to Jessica's death, and how they can be avoided in the future, this tragic incident should not diminish our commitment to organ donation--a procedure that saves thousands of lives each year, and was in fact Jessica's only chance for survival. Instead, we should make a commitment to increasing our donation rates and saving even more lives. Today, I am pleased to reintroduce legislation with Senator Bill Frist to do just that. The Organ Donation and Recovery Improvement Act, which Senator Frist and I originally introduced last Congress, will bring positive attention to this critical public health issue by increasing resources and coordinating efforts to improve organ donation and recovery.”