Early release from prison for organ donations? Maybe in this state
There isn’t currently a way for an incarcerated person to donate bone marrow or organs, even if a close relative would benefit from the donation.
A proposal by a Massachusetts lawmaker would grant prisoners early release from their court imposed sentences of up to one year if they volunteer to donate their organs or bone marrow.
If made law, the bill would “allow eligible incarcerated individuals to gain not less than 60 and not more than 365 day reduction in the length of their committed sentence in Department of Corrections facilities, or House of Correction facilities if they are serving a Department of Correction sentence in a House of Corrections facility, on the condition that the incarcerated individual has donated bone marrow or organ(s),” the proposal reads in part.
Submitted to this year’s Legislature by state Reps. Carlos González, Springfield, and Judith A. Garcia, Chelsea and Everette, the bill would “establish a Marrow and Organ Donation Program within the Department of Correction and a Bone Marrow and Organ Donation Committee.”
According to Garcia, who took to Twitter to explain the proposal, there isn’t currently a way for an incarcerated person to donate bone marrow or organs, even if a close relative would benefit from the donation.
“Nearly 5,000 MA residents are currently awaiting organ transplants,” a graphic she shared explains, before saying the bill would “restore bodily autonomy to incarcerated folks by providing opportunity to donate organs and bone marrow.”
Twitter users did not seem to respond well to the plan, some calling the incentive to leave prison up to a year early coercion, others simply referring to it as “abhorrent.”
Garcia and González could not be reached for comment by press time.