Jobs and Schwarzenegger Want Change in Organ Donor Registry

Most people are aware of Steve Job's winning battle with a rare form of pancreatic cancer. In order to win his fight, Job's needed a liver transplant, however, in the state of California, that goal became impossible. Jobs needed a transplant faster than one would become available. He was advised by his doctors to get on a transplant list in Memphis, Tenn., where the chance of receiving a new organ is much greater.

The Apple CEO was still enormously lucky that a match did become available in Tennessee. However, much of his success was because he could afford to place himself on an out-of-state waiting lists, which costs money, and the ability to get to the transplant hospital very quickly, which means having a private jet available for when the time comes.

Job's admits he was extremely lucky to not only have found a donor, but to have had the means needed to make it happen. He realizes, though, that most people would not have been able to take the same strides. That is why he came to Gov. Schwarzenegger with a proposal to write a bill changing the current organ donor registry system in California.

Currently, the state does not require drivers to choose to become donors or not when they get their license. Only 6.3 million out of 23 million drivers are designated organ donors. The bill would require a yes or no answer to organ donation in order to receive a driver's license. Last year, 400 people died while waiting for organs.

Also introduced, is the creation of the nation's first living donor list, on which people can place themselves if they would like to donate a kidney to someone in need. Kidney donation is safe and generally does not negatively affect the donor.

In an article for Mercury News, Gov. Schwarzenegger said, "What I like about Steve is, because he is a wealthy man that helped him get the transplant. But he doesn't want that — that only wealthy people can get the transplant and have a plane waiting to take him anywhere he needs to go. He wants every human being, if you have no money at all or if you're the richest person in the world, everyone ought to have the right to get a transplant immediately."

Photo by acaben via Flickr.