A Massachusetts bill filed on Jan. 20th would allow prisoners to donate their organs in exchange for shorter prison sentences.
Eligible organ donors can shave not less than 60 days off their sentence, and as many as 365 days. The bill also sets up a Bone Marrow and Organ Donation Committee which would consist of five members and determine eligibility and the amount of bone marrow or organ donations necessary to lessen a prison sentence. (RELATED: FLASHBACK: ‘You’re Behaving Like Stalinists’: Watch How Liberal Journo, Lawyer Dealt With Disruptive Students In 1997)
“There shall be no commissions or monetary payments to be made to the Department of Correction for bone marrow donated by incarcerated individuals,” the bill stipulates.
Bad news: You were just sentenced to prison in Massachusetts.
Good news: You have internal organs and bone marrow to spare and a new bill would allow you to trade those for up to a year off your sentence! https://t.co/g85csi5uJ3— Kevin Ring (@KevinARing) January 30, 2023
Some voiced concern that the bill would allow the system of organ donation to become coercive.
“This seems well-intentioned but problematic,” David Steensma, a scientist, wrote on Twitter. “Donors deserve gratitude, but could become coercive.”
“This is not reform, folks!” Daniel Landsman, director of the criminal justice organization FAMM Foundation wrote.