Political Quotes

“on this Valentine's Day, National Donor Day, I rise to speak on the critical issue of organ donation. It is with great pleasure that I join with my colleagues Senators Dodd, Hutchinson, Jeffords, and Enzi to introduce the Organ Donation and Recovery Improvement Act. This far-reaching, comprehensive legislation includes a number of new steps intended to improve organ donation and recovery efforts nationwide and increase the number of organs available for transplants each year. This legislation is further complemented by a resolution that I, and a number of my colleagues are introducing today to commemorate today as National Donor Day and call attention to the important issue of organ donation. This year, more than twenty-two thousand Americans will receive an organ transplant. This is due to the rapid and tremendous advancements in our knowledge and in the science of organ transplantation. As a heart and lung transplant surgeon before coming to the Senate, I have had the opportunity to watch the field develop tremendously over the past three decades. I remember my own experiences, of conducting some of the first transplants using hearts and lungs, and know the tremendous progress that has been made since that time. And I know the hundreds of my own patients who have benefitted from improved lives due to advances in transplantation.”