Developmental disability in and of itself should never be a bar to receiving medical care based on invidious notions of 'quality of life'

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Developmental disability in and of itself should never be a bar to receiving proper medical care based on invidious notions of ‘quality of life.’

An important and bipartisan bill has been filed in Congress to end organ-transplant discrimination against people developmental disabilities. Authored by Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler (R., Wash.) and Katie Porter (D., Calif.), the Charlotte Wood Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act (H.R. 1235) would:

A covered entity may not, solely on the basis of a qualified individual’s mental or physical disability— (1)d eem such individual ineligible to receive an anatomical gift or organ transplant;

(2) deny such individual medical or related organ transplantation services, including evaluation, surgery, counseling, and postoperative treatment and care;

(3 )refuse to refer the individual to a transplant center or other related specialist for the purpose of evaluation or receipt of an organ transplant;

(4) refuse to place an individual on an organ transplant waiting list, or placement of the individual at a lower-priority position on the list than the position at which the individual would have been placed if not for the disability of the individual; or

(5 )decline insurance coverage for such individual for any procedure associated with the receipt of an anatomical gift, including post-transplantation care if such procedure would be covered under such coverage for such individual if not for the disability of the individual.

This is an important issue of human exceptionalism. Each and every one of us is equal and should be treated equally. Developmental disability in and of itself should never be a bar to receiving proper medical care based on invidious notions of “quality of life,” or other such excuses for abuse or medical neglect