Latest Developments 

• Proposal for organ donation after execution
• Letters to Oregon's attorney general and judge
• Petitions to amend Oregon administrative rules to allow for organ donation
• MSNBC article discusses G.A.V.E.'s cause. Read the article now. 
• NY Times publishes article by G.A.V.E.'s founder on prisoner organ donations. Read the March 6, 2011 editorial now.

Prison and Prosecutors Reject Proposals

"The department rejects your offer to dismiss your post conviction case and to forego your subsequent appeals in exchange for granting your request (to donate your organs after execution)... (we) have no intentions to negotiate or to discuss the issues further with you or your attorneys."
   - Michael Gower, Assistant Director, OR Dept of Corrections for Max Williams, Director
     and Kathleen Cegla, Deputy Attorney General of OR

• Letter rejecting offer to end appeals and donate after execution

Prison Rejects Petitions to Amend Oregon Rules on Capital Punishment and Organ Donation

"The department finds that the interest of the public and condemned are best served by denying the petition and administering capital punishment in accordance with Oregon statutes."
   - Max Williams, Director, OR Dept of Corrections

• Letter rejecting petitions to amend Oregon rules to include organ donation

The public and death row inmates disagree with the prison's assessment.  Comments received by the Department of Corrections in consideration of the proposals were solely in support.  Comments such as:
   "This is to show my support for amendments... to add the option to allow death row inmates the choice to donate their organs at the time of execution. Oregon has the chance to set an example for other states and I believe this to be a worthy cause that will surely benefit many people."
   - V.S.K.

As well as comments from death row inmates:
   "Should my appeals be unsuccessful, I would like to globally donate all organs and thus even in death find a way to benefit society."
   - J.T., Oregon death row inmate

More than half of Oregon's death row verbally or in writing supported proposed amendments to donate organs after execution.

Additional information on proposals to donate:

• Transcript of court hearing on organ donation after execution
• Petition to amend Oregon rules for prisoner living donations
• Proposal for living donation of kidney
• Complete timeline of efforts to donate 

Update

G.A.V.E.is now contacting other condemned prisoners who have already exhausted their appeals and face an execution date.  As others express a wish to donate, they are provided with the necessary resources to seek approval from their state's prison administration to donate after execution.

• Compassion - Cover article written by G.A.V.E.'s founder (Compassion is a bi-monthly publication sent to all death row inmates and subscribers)

G.A.V.E. welcomes media interest to raise awareness and urge prisons to allow organ donation both while alive and after execution.  To learn more about G.A.V.E.'s efforts, click here.

• Since G.A.V.E. was launched in November 2009:
  • Public shows interest 
    • Mail has poured in from readers, law students, the media, film producers, doctors, and other professionals with interest, concerns and some wishes to help (much help is still needed
  • Prisons reconsider
    • Prisons nationwide have begun examining their organ donation policies in consideration of inmate donations to strangers where only family donations were possible before.
  • States have begun switching from the typical 3 drug lethal injection cocktail to one that uses a single drug (sodium thiopental).  This change makes organ donations from willing condemned inmates humane and medically feasible. 
  • Washington switched on 3/2/2010
  • Ohio switched on 11/13/2009
  • Film industry takes notice
    • Many documentary companies and producers express interest in filming G.A.V.E.'s efforts.  Due to the prison's rejection of the ideas, they refuse all film crew access. G.A.V.E. is now expanding to make available a spokesperson and other prisons to give the issue more light.  
      
      

Want to learn more about organ donation possibilities and challenges?

Research Resources Resources on organ donations from the executed

• G.A.V.E's e-Book on prisoner organ donation (click here)
• Death row organ donations - comprehensive collection of resources and opinion concerning donations from executed prisoners. - Written by Eric Meslin, Director of Indiana University Center for Bioethics
• Death row prisoners as organ donors - collection of views concerning proposals to accept organs donated by executed prisoners.  Includes essays on various related topics.  - Written by James Park, Existentialist Philosopher 
• AMA Capital Punishment Guidelines (Opinion 2.06) - permitting organ donations from the executed
• Prescription: Medicine - The Goodness of Planned Death - book by Jack Kevorkian     Living organ donations from prisoners
  • Mississippi Governor pardons sisters under the condition that one donates a kidney to the other
  • Maricopa County begins a campaign to sign up inmates as organ donors
  • Articles written by G.A.V.E.'s founder
    • Living Donations from Willing Prisoners - comprehensive review of challenges and solutions related to inmate donations
    • Prisoner Organ Donations?  - a consideration of prison inmates vs. the rest of society
    • High Risk?  - comparison of inmates vs. other high risk groups
    • Prisoner Consent?  - can prisoners give appropriate consent to donate organs?

Organ Donation Sites

• Facebook:  G.A.V.E. Facebook page
• Facebook:  Prisoner Organ Donation
• unos.org - United Network for Organ Sharing
• organdonor.gov - US Government information on organ donation
• matchingdonors.com - Sign up to be a living donor
• optn.transplant.hrsa.gov - Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network