FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Friday, September 19, 2008
Contact: Brian Cook (202) 225-3202
Sage Eastman, Rep. Camp: (202) 225-3561

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) and Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) yesterday were joined by 44 colleagues in introducing H.R. 6950, the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Gift of Life Congressional Medal Act.  The legislation creates a Congressional commemorative medal for organ donors and their families, recognizing the brave and selfless act of organ donation.
 
Rep. Stark: “The Gift of Life Congressional Medal Act sends a clear message that donating one's organs is an act that should receive the profound respect of our nation.  It is with great love for Stephanie and in tribute to her lifetime of service to others that we reintroduce this bill today in her name.”
 
Rep. Camp: “Stephanie dedicated her life and her untimely death to helping others.  And, so it is with great sadness and great respect that we reintroduce this bill as the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Gift of Life Medal Act.  It is my sincere hope that this medal and Stephanie’s final act will inspire thousands more to donate their organs and give the gift of life.”
 
Rep. Tubbs Jones, who died of a brain aneurysm last month, requested that her organs and tissues be donated in the event of her death.  She is one of 100 expected donors in Northeast Ohio this year.  While no details were released, officials estimate that as many as 58 people may have benefited from her gift.
 
Rep. Tubbs Jones was a strong advocate for remedying health disparities, which are dramatic in the area of organ transplantation.   Minorities donate organs in proportion to their population, but the rate of organ donations fails to keep pace with the need for transplants in the population.  African Americans represent 13 percent of the population and 12 percent of organ donors, but comprise roughly 23 percent of individuals on the national waiting list for kidney transplants. 
 
Added Rep. Stark: “This bill was introduced earlier this year and named for former Senator William H. Frist who, as both a senator and a transplant surgeon, is a leading proponent for organ donation.  I want to thank him for his outspoken support for reintroducing the bill to honor our friend and colleague Stephanie Tubbs Jones.”
 
In the United States, nearly 100,000 people are currently waiting for organ transplants; more than 2,000 of these are children under age 18.  The national waiting list has grown substantially every year.  Since the waiting list began, at least 75,000 donation-eligible Americans have died waiting for an organ to become available; in 2005 alone, more than 6,000 people died for lack of a suitable organ.
 
Health and Human Services has implemented initiatives to raise the public awareness of this vital act of giving life. This legislation directs the Treasury department to design and produce a commemorative medal that the Department of Health and Human Services will award to organ donors or to a surviving family member.  Enactment of this legislation would have no cost to the Federal Government.  The medals would be funded by charitable donations.