Support the Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act (S. 1782 / H.R. 1520) to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not denied access to lifesaving organ transplants because of disability-related bias or assumptions about their quality of life, independence, or future potential. Every person deserves to be evaluated as an individual, based on medical evidence and clinical need - not on stereotypes or misconceptions about disability.

Although federal civil rights laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Affordable Care Act prohibit discrimination, reports continue to emerge of individuals with disabilities being denied placement on transplant waiting lists or facing barriers to receiving transplants. The Charlotte Woodward Act would strengthen and clarify these protections by establishing clear standards for transplant centers, requiring individualized assessments, and providing stronger enforcement mechanisms when discrimination occurs.

Massachusetts has already enacted state-level protections to prevent organ transplant discrimination against people with disabilities. However, access to equitable transplant care should not depend on where a person lives. A federal law is needed to create consistent protections nationwide, ensure accountability across transplant systems, and safeguard the rights of individuals with disabilities in every state.

No one should be denied the chance to receive a lifesaving organ transplant because of disability-related bias. Congress should pass the Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act to guarantee fair and equal access to transplant evaluation and care for all Americans.