Donating organs to shorten incarceration could soon become a reality in the United States.
Massachusetts – Inmates in the US state could soon have the opportunity to reduce their sentences. In return, inmates are expected to donate their organs or bone marrow.
That’s in a draft law that was introduced by two Democrats. Accordingly, an “organ and bone marrow donation program” is to be set up.
Detainees participating in this program should be able to reduce their sentence by a minimum of 60 days and a maximum of 365 days. In addition, the law provides for a new committee of five members to oversee the program and determine eligibility for participation.
Likewise, this committee would regulate how much bone marrow would have to be donated in order for the sentence to be reduced.
Currently, US prisoners are only allowed to donate organs if the recipient is an immediate family member. However, there is no way for detainees to donate blood, organs or bone marrow. Even people sentenced to death are not allowed to donate organs – not even with a donor card.
Democrat Judith Garcia, who is involved in the bill, tells the „Guardian“the bill would “restore the physical autonomy of detained people by allowing them to donate organs and bone marrow” and “recognize the choices of detained donors through reduced sentences.”
It would also address the problem of long waiting lists for organ transplants. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, more than 100,000 people are currently waiting for an organ donation in the USA, of which almost 59,000 are on active waiting lists.
Meanwhile, critics have expressed doubts about the proposed law, saying they are concerned about possible coercion of prison inmates. In addition, the prisoners would then have to be transferred to hospitals because many prisons only had inadequate medical care.