Some of you may have seen the headline, but the other day I came across an article about a bill proposed in the Massachusetts legislature that wants to reduce the prison term for incarcerated people who donate bone marrow or an organ! Yes, in case you have not heard about this, it is true. It has not been seriously debated yet, and we don’t know yet what its future will be, but bill HD3822 is on the table which stipulates that prisoners' organs and marrow may be harvested in exchange for 2-12 months off their sentence.
I may be an old mentality person, or maybe I am not pragmatic enough, but I would have found the bill ludicrous, if the concept were not coercive:
- First of all, which organs can a living human-being donate without handicapping him/her self? OK, bone marrow is one thing, but kidney which is the other one, is already a serious matter;
- Secondly, there are always people who are desperate, for whatever reason, that may be willing to donate a kidney to get 2 months off. They could become targets of coercion;
- Last but not the least, in most countries, it is illegal to sell or buy organs for donation, which is fair. But Massachusetts’ law is not much different from allowing prisoners to sell organs. The payment is different, but it is still a payment.
The legislation provides for safeguards and standards of eligibility, but it will be difficult to provide protection against desperation and coercion. Reading the article, I came across this section which I am still trying to understand. The state representative, Judith Garcia, who is a co-sponsor of the bill, said in support of the bill: the legislation would “restore bodily autonomy to incarcerated folks by providing [an] opportunity for them to donate organs and bone marrow.”
I have read this phrase 4 times, and I still cannot figure out what she is saying that is worthwhile!!
Paris, February 6, 2023
Zeejay