“Donate Life New York State (NYS) supports any organ and tissue donation system that enjoys the public’s confidence, honors the wishes of potential donors, and ultimately serves both to save lives and heal those in need. The passion for a brighter future embodied by these young New Yorkers is admirable, and we at Donate Life New York State wish every student shared in their commitment to this vital mission. We encourage the Legislature to explore opportunities to thoroughly examine “opt-out” approaches to donation and to evaluate its effects in those nations where this system is currently in place. Regardless of the outcome of their proposal, Donate Life NYS is grateful that a new generation of New Yorkers are thinking innovatively to identify policies in an effort to address this public health crisis, and are raising awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation. It is critical that together we identify solutions to New York’s organ shortage as each day nearly 9,500 men, women, and children are currently waiting for a lifesaving transplant, and thousands more seek sight and health-restoring tissue transplants. Donate Life NYS stands ready to partner with New Yorkers young and old, our champions in the Legislature, and Governor Cuomo in efforts to prevent the deaths of hundreds of New York patients on the national transplant waitlist each year.”

— Aisha Tator, Executive Director (statement in last paragraph)