American Liver Foundation Applauds Reintroduction of the Living Donor Protection Act

Statement from Lorraine Stiehl, Chief Executive Officer, American Liver Foundation

“On behalf of nearly 100 million Americans affected by liver disease, we applaud the reintroduction of the Living Donor Protection Act of 2023, which will help protect living organ donors from discrimination in insurance and ensure living donors can take time off for organ donation and recovery under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). 

American Liver Foundation is so grateful to Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) for reintroducing the Living Donor Protection Act and to the bi-partisan co-sponsors championing this effort on Capitol Hill: Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Representatives Troy Balderson (R-OH), Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Jim Costa (D-CA), John Curtis (R-UT), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), and Gregory F. Murphy, M.D. (R-NC).

Each year, 2,000 liver patients in the United States die waiting for a transplant that never comes. Even more are removed from the waitlist because they become too sick to undergo transplant surgery. As fatty liver disease (now called steatotic liver disease or SLD) becomes more common in the U.S., more people will progress to liver failure and require a transplant.

It is crucial that we work together to remove barriers to living organ donation so that more liver patients have access to a life-saving transplant whenever they need it. We encourage all Members of Congress to support the lifesaving Living Donor Protection Act.”

About the American Liver Foundation

The American Liver Foundation is the nation’s largest non-profit organization focused solely on promoting liver health and disease prevention. The American Liver Foundation achieves its mission in the fight against liver disease by funding scientific research, education for medical professionals, advocacy, information and support programs for patients and their families as well as public awareness campaigns about liver wellness and disease prevention. The mission of the American Liver Foundation is to promote education, advocacy, support services and research for the prevention, treatment and cure of liver disease. For more information visit liverfoundation.org or call:1 800 GO LIVER (800-465-4837).

Last updated on December 13th, 2023 at 02:03 pm