The Missouri House is doing its role. Now it's up to the Senate and you.
The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly gave initial support to extend a tax checkoff program for organ donations, The Associated Press reported. Starting in 2011, Missourians have been able to donate at least $2 on their individual tax returns or at least $4 on combined returns to help fund the Missouri Organ Donor Trust Fund.
That option to donate is set to expire Aug. 28 of this year if the Legislature doesn't extend it, The AP reported.
The donor fund maintains the organ and tissue donor registry and educates people about the benefits of organ donation.
Rep. Steve Cookson, R-Poplar Bluff, made an emotional plea for his fellow House members to support the fund. Cookson is a prime example of the need for the organ and tissue donor registry.
The AP said he announced publicly for the first time he has been diagnosed with liver failure and will need a transplant if he is to survive. He said the liver failure stemmed from blood viruses transmitted to him through a blood transplant in the 1970s.
The lawmaker hopes to get a transplant after the legislative session and wants to finish the rest of his term if he can maintain his health, AP reported.
We urge the House to give final approval to the measure, and urge the Senate to give it final approval.
It's not a controversial issue; and it just makes sense. It lets taxpayers make a voluntary donation for a life-saving cause.
Now, what can you do?
Consider donating. Whether you donate money or designate yourself as an organ/tissue donor, you're saving lives.
A single organ donor can save eight lives and impact up to 50 people. And despite a common myth, age - being young or old - doesn't prevent you from becoming a donor. You can register online or at your local Department of Revenue office.
Organ/tissue donors can let people who are near death lead full lives, and donating can bring comfort to families - both the donor and recipient - in such difficult times.
Just as we ask the Legislature to extend the checkoff program, we ask you to consider making a life-saving donation.