Our Jewish Abilities Alliance (JAA) team and other community advocates were down at GA State Capitol last week to support Gracie’s Law (HB 842), organized by Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities. The law seeks to end organ transplant discrimination against people with a diagnosed developmental disability, based on many misconceptions about their quality of life and ability to recover from a transplant. It’s named for Gracie Nobles, who was born in March 2019 with Down syndrome. Gracie spent 17 days in neonatal intensive care, then a month later, she showed signs of congestive heart failure and developed serious kidney problems.
At 3-months-old, Gracie underwent surgery to successfully repair a hole in her heart. But, if Gracie had required a heart transplant, she could have been denied due to her diagnosis. Georgia doesn’t have discrimination prevention laws to protect people with disabilities and ensure equal access to organ transplants. Even states with discrimination laws often leave people and children with disabilities off organ transplant lists. We’ll keep you posted on the bill’s progress! Learn how to advocate with JAA for Gracie’s Law here.
