Today, the Michigan Senate adopted Sen. Kevin Daley’s (R-Lum) resolution to recognize April 2025 as Donate Life Month. Celebrated each April, the national observance is a time to raise awareness about organ, eye and tissue donation, encourage registration as a donor and honor those who have given the gift of life through donation.
“My son Thomas was passionate about helping others,” said Sen. Daley. “The gift of organ donation helped us through our grief. While Thomas is no longer with us, his legacy lives on through the lives of others.”
In honor of the resolution, Sen. Daley also introduced the Patient Access to Donor Registry Information Bill. The bill would help save lives in Michigan by encouraging family doctors and urgent care centers to provide patients with information about organ, eye, tissue, and bone marrow donation. Studies show that family doctors are the most trusted source of information for those who are hesitant to register as organ donors.
The legislation would encourage but not require family doctors to provide information about donation and encourage people to add their names to the Michigan Organ Donor Registry. The bill comes just as Donate Life America announced a national collaboration that offers patients a seamless way to register as organ, eye and tissue donors directly through patient online portals in MyChart.
In addition to Sen. Daley’s sponsored bill, Sen. Joseph Bellino (R-Monroe) introduced the High School Organ Donation Education Bill inside the senate today. The new bill recommends education about organ, eye and tissue donation and the Donor Registry to all ninth graders in Michigan public schools.
Only 38% of teen drivers in Michigan register as organ donors, about half the percentage that other states get. This bill aims to change that. Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois require education about donation in public schools. This legislation takes a step in that direction.
“Organ, eye and tissue donation is a topic close to my heart,” said Sen. Bellino. “As a living kidney donor, I know the important role one person can have in saving someone’s life. This bill will help our students understand that they have the power to save lives.”
Gift of Life Michigan has been actively educating Michigan high schoolers on organ, eye and tissue donation through it’s free one-hour curriculum, All of Us. The program offers information about the donation process, activities that demonstrate what it’s like to need a transplant and literature to aid in family discussion about donation. In 2024, the organization visited 509 schools. With the new legislation the hope is to expand outreach and potentially reach all 1,800 high schools throughout the state.
“We are so grateful for the support from Sen. Daley and Sen. Bellino,” said Dorrie Dils, president and CEO of Gift of Life Michigan. “We know that Michigan is full of generous people. With the help of these two bills, we hope to provide the opportunity for more Michiganders to make an informed decision and potentially save more lives by joining the Donor Registry.”
Expanding education about organ donation and the Donor Registry also addresses the racial health disparities in communities of color. African Americans disproportionately suffer from kidney failure and high blood pressure, which are leading causes of organ failure. For many communities concentrated in Detroit, where the cost of auto insurance is the highest in the nation, only a small percentage of teenagers take driver’s education.
More than 4.6 million Michigan residents are on the Donor Registry. About 2,600 Michigan residents are waiting for a life-saving organ. The best way to save lives is by joining the Donor Registry.
To register or learn more about the donation process, visit giftoflifemichigan.org
