March 1, 2023

Glory’s Law passes first house committee

Glory’s Law, which seeks to ban discrimination against organ donors based on mental or physical disability, unanimously passed its first house committee Tuesday. SB 71 is a preventive measure, since no known cases of organ donor discrimination based on disability have occurred in New Mexico according to the bill’s lead sponsor Sen. Craig Brandt, R-Rio […]

Nicole Maxwell

Glory’s Law, which seeks to ban discrimination against organ donors based on mental or physical disability, unanimously passed its first house committee Tuesday.

SB 71 is a preventive measure, since no known cases of organ donor discrimination based on disability have occurred in New Mexico according to the bill’s lead sponsor Sen. Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho, said.

“This bill is actually a simple bill but has profound effects,” Brandt said. This bill simply makes it illegal to discriminate against a disabled person when it comes to organ transplants.”

The bill came about after a case in another state where a 27-year old Down Syndrome patient was refused an organ donation and died.

More: Law to ban discrimination against organ donor recipients has support

Brandt disclosed that as a disabled person himself, the bill affects him personally.

The bill passed the Senate last year but did not pass the House before the end of the session.

The House Health and Human Services Committee was its first stop after passing the Senate earlier in the session. The bill now heads to the House Judiciary Committee.