On May 15th, Senators Ashley Moody (R - FL) and Maggie Hassan (D - NH) reintroduced the Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act in the United States Senate. The bill was introduced in the United States House of Representatives by Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL-3) and Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI-6) and passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee with almost completely unanimous bipartisan support on April 29, 2025.
The bill is named after Charlotte Woodward, an adult woman with Down syndrome who received a lifesaving heart transplant over 13 years ago. This legislation prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in the organ transplant system by upholding, clarifying, and building upon rights established in existing civil rights legislation. Additionally, it prohibits covered entities from determining an individual is ineligible to receive a transplant, deny an organ transplant or related service, refuse to refer the individual to an organ transplant center, or refuse to place an individual on a waiting list based solely on the fact that the individual has a disability.
This bill was passed by the House of Representatives during the 118th Congress, but unfortunately didn’t have enough time to pass the Senate.
Learn more about Charlotte's Bill and take action!