Petition to HHS: End Presumed Consent in Organ Donation
No American Should Lose Their Life Because of Flawed Organ Donor Policies
Dear Secretary Kennedy,
Recent revelations from your own department confirm what many feared:
U.S. hospitals have harvested organs from patients who not only showed signs of cognition but who, in some cases, recovered from their brain injury.
This makes it urgent to reform how Americans are asked — and recorded — as organ donors.
Right now, a simple “Yes” at the DMV or BMV (your state motor vehicle office):
- Functions as a form of presumed consent where silence or a checked box is treated as permission.
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Locks you in as a donor in 49 states, even if your family objects later.
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Shares your status instantly with medical teams nationwide through state-linked national registries.
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Gives no clear explanation of when, how, or under what conditions your organs may be removed.
We call on you to act now and reform state motor vehicle policies to:
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Stop binding consent until safeguards are in place and apply these safeguards to all existing donor registrations.
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Explain the risks clearly and provide a fact sheet before sign-up.
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Give people a clear option to opt out of organ donation.
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Consent must be confirmed yearly to prevent it from lasting indefinitely.
Organ donation should always be voluntary — never presumed, coerced, or removed in ways that end lives prematurely.
Mr. Secretary, you have the authority to protect every American from being turned into a donor without fully informed, voluntary consent.
We call on you to act now.