Law Would Permit Prisoners to Donate Organs to Reduce Sentences
2023-02-15
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1A proposed law in the U.S. state of Massachusetts would permit prisoners to donate their organs to shorten their prison terms.
2The proposal faces intense opposition in the Massachusetts legislature.
3Experts also say the measure could conflict with a federal law that bans the sale or transfer of human organs for "valuable consideration."
4The measure has raised questions about whether prisons would be able to effectively care for the health of organ donors.
5Critics call the idea dehumanizing.
6They also argue that such a law could create pressure on prisoners to donate organs.
7Supporters of the bill have suggested it could help feel a need for organ donors in Black and Hispanic communities.
8Their reasoning is linked to over-jailing rates for those minorities in U.S. prisons.
9Kevin Ring is the president of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a Washington, D.C.-based criminal justice reform group.
10He told The Associated Press that supporting organ donation and reducing some prison sentences is good.
11But he added, "Tying the two together is perverse."
12The bill would create a Bone Marrow and Organ Donation Program within the Massachusetts state Department of Correction.
13The program would permit prisoners to receive a reduction in their sentence of between 60 days to a year if they have donated bone marrow or organs.
14Judith Garcia is a Massachusetts state lawmaker and one of the bill's sponsors.
15She told the Associated Press that the measure was created to deal with health inequalities.
16She said such inequalities are linked to, in her words, "the vicious cycle of unjust incarceration and over-policing of Black and Brown communities."
17Garcia said Black and Hispanic communities are at higher risk for health conditions that might require organ donation.
18In addition, discriminatory incarceration rates reduce the number of available donors that could serve minority communities, she said.
19Currently, the need for life-saving organs is great: There are more than 4,600 individuals in Massachusetts - and almost 106,000 people in the U.S. - waiting for organ transplants.
20About 28 percent of those in Massachusetts identify as Black, Hispanic or Latino, organ donation data shows.
21But critics say the proposed law tries to deal with the problem in the wrong way.
22George Annas directs the Center for Health Law, Ethics & Human Rights at Boston University's School of Public Health.
23He said offering reduced sentences in exchange for organs is not only unethical, but also violates federal law.
24"You can't buy an organ. That should end the discussion," Annas said.
25Massachusetts state lawmaker Carlos Gonzalez is another co-sponsor of the bill.
26He defended the proposal, noting that the donor program would be voluntary.
27He also said he is open to establishing a policy that would permit prisoners to donate organs and bone marrow without the promise of a reduced sentence.
28Gonzalez noted that there is currently no law against prisoner organ donation in Massachusetts.
29"It's not quid pro quo. We are open to setting policy without incentives," Gonzalez said.
30I'm Bryan Lynn.
1A proposed law in the U.S. state of Massachusetts would permit prisoners to donate their organs to shorten their prison terms. 2The proposal faces intense opposition in the Massachusetts legislature. Experts also say the measure could conflict with a federal law that bans the sale or transfer of human organs for "valuable consideration." 3The measure has raised questions about whether prisons would be able to effectively care for the health of organ donors. 4Critics call the idea dehumanizing. They also argue that such a law could create pressure on prisoners to donate organs. 5Supporters of the bill have suggested it could help feel a need for organ donors in Black and Hispanic communities. Their reasoning is linked to over-jailing rates for those minorities in U.S. prisons. 6Kevin Ring is the president of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a Washington, D.C.-based criminal justice reform group. He told The Associated Press that supporting organ donation and reducing some prison sentences is good. But he added, "Tying the two together is perverse." 7The bill would create a Bone Marrow and Organ Donation Program within the Massachusetts state Department of Correction. The program would permit prisoners to receive a reduction in their sentence of between 60 days to a year if they have donated bone marrow or organs. 8Judith Garcia is a Massachusetts state lawmaker and one of the bill's sponsors. She told the Associated Press that the measure was created to deal with health inequalities. She said such inequalities are linked to, in her words, "the vicious cycle of unjust incarceration and over-policing of Black and Brown communities." 9Garcia said Black and Hispanic communities are at higher risk for health conditions that might require organ donation. In addition, discriminatory incarceration rates reduce the number of available donors that could serve minority communities, she said. 10Currently, the need for life-saving organs is great: There are more than 4,600 individuals in Massachusetts - and almost 106,000 people in the U.S. - waiting for organ transplants. About 28 percent of those in Massachusetts identify as Black, Hispanic or Latino, organ donation data shows. 11But critics say the proposed law tries to deal with the problem in the wrong way. 12George Annas directs the Center for Health Law, Ethics & Human Rights at Boston University's School of Public Health. He said offering reduced sentences in exchange for organs is not only unethical, but also violates federal law. 13"You can't buy an organ. That should end the discussion," Annas said. 14Massachusetts state lawmaker Carlos Gonzalez is another co-sponsor of the bill. He defended the proposal, noting that the donor program would be voluntary. He also said he is open to establishing a policy that would permit prisoners to donate organs and bone marrow without the promise of a reduced sentence. Gonzalez noted that there is currently no law against prisoner organ donation in Massachusetts. 15"It's not quid pro quo. We are open to setting policy without incentives," Gonzalez said. 16I'm Bryan Lynn. 17The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report VOA Learning English. 18__________________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20transfer - v. to move someone or something from one place to another 21perverse - adj. not in keeping with expected or accepted norms 22vicious cycle - n. a situation in which one problem causes another problem, which then makes the first problem worse 23incarcerate - v. to jail 24unethical - adj. morally bad 25quid pro quo - n. something given to a person in return for something they have done 26incentive - n. something that persuades a person to do something 27_____________________________________________________________________ 28What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 29Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.