Canadians who donate organs while alive could receive a national medal recognizing their generosity under legislation that has cleared a Senate committee following unanimous support in the House of Commons.Blacklock's Reporter says Bill C-234, An Act Respecting The Establishment And Award Of A Living Donor Recognition Medal, passed the Senate human rights committee and now heads to the Senate for Third Reading.The legislation would establish a medal for anyone who donates an organ without receiving financial compensation.Supporters say the recognition could encourage more Canadians to consider living organ donation and help reduce transplant waiting lists, which currently include approximately 4,700 patients nationwide.“The challenge is not a lack of generosity among Canadians,” Craig Lindsay, Ontario program director for the Kidney Foundation of Canada, told senators at an October 5 hearing.“The challenge is simply awareness. People cannot consider living donation if they have never heard of it.”The bill received unanimous approval in the House of Commons on April 22 after being introduced by Conservative MP Ziad Aboultaif (Edmonton Manning), himself an organ donor.Aboultaif told the Senate committee on June 15 that recognizing living donors could help save lives by encouraging more people to donate.“One life is a big deal,” he said. “How about the hundreds and thousands of lives we can save? I think this is a great thing.”The Edmonton MP said more than 300 Canadians died last year while waiting for an organ transplant.“Greater awareness can reduce wait times and bring relief to families facing immense stress,” Aboultaif said.Witnesses appearing before the Senate committee also raised concerns about the potential financial consequences facing living organ donors, particularly when obtaining insurance.Martine Bouchard, CEO of Transplant Québec, said donors should not face higher costs or other financial disadvantages because they chose to help save someone's life.“Recognition must not come with a penalty,” Bouchard testified.“While Canadian data do not show that insurance premiums systematically go up, data are limited,” she said. “International research has shown some donors experience higher premiums and other insurance difficulties.”.Bouchard urged Ottawa to examine insurance practices and financial barriers affecting living donors alongside the proposed recognition program.“We don’t expect Bill C-234 alone to bring about insurance reforms,” she said.“However we are asking that the establishment of the medal go hand in hand with a formal national review of the financial and insurance consequences of living donation.”Shelley Hunt, a kidney donor from Penticton, B.C., told senators that while most living donors do not seek recognition, a national medal could help educate Canadians about an option many do not realize exists.“I think this is an easy, beautiful thing for Canada to say yes to,” Hunt said.She explained that her own decision to become a kidney donor began after she received a pamphlet describing living donation.“When I first heard about the idea of a medal for living donors my first thought, if I’m honest, was I certainly don’t need one,” she testified.“That said, I will always participate in anything that brings living donation to the forefront because living donation is such an important thing.”Hunt said even a small increase in public awareness could make a difference for patients awaiting transplants.“Maybe someone hears about this medal, hears about living donation, and says, ‘Oh, you can do that?’” she said.“And maybe that person becomes a living donor. I do not think most living donors would say they need a medal, but I do think recognition is beautiful and I do think it matters.”The legislation must still receive Third Reading approval in the Senate and royal assent before becoming law.If enacted, Canada would become the first Commonwealth country to establish a specific national honour recognizing living organ donors.
