This young woman later went on to have a child, and that child became an instantly- beloved grand-child of a San Diego resident. The happy grand-mother communicated her thrill -- for both the survival and recovery of her daughter in law, the magic of birth, and importance of stem cell research -- in public speeches on the floor of the House of Representatives, printed in the Congressional Record.
The mother-in-law of the kidney recipient described above, and eventual happy new grandmother, is Congresswoman Susan A Davis, of California's 53rd Congressional District.
It's a very happy story for all involved. Access to health care helped save this young woman's life, and permit a fulfilling future.
In this time of fervent health care debate, one asks, should this young woman's transplant, anti-rejection medication, and eventual pre-natal care depend wholly on her ability to qualify & pay for for-profit insurance premiums, and navigate the complexities of for-profit insurance corporationas -- some of whom have REJECTED organ transplants patients requests?
Less happy stories abound: "17-year-old girl died hours after Cigna finally agreed to pay for new liver:" http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22357873/F
Furthermore, some organ donors (possibly including the generous sibling who donated his kidney to his sister) then become unable to obtain normal private insurance coverage, due to the 'pre-existing condition' of having given up a kidney to a loved one. Utter insanity!
These are moral questions to reflect upon.
We urge the Congresswoman, and all those duly elected to represent us, to reflect on whether access to medical care should be restricted to only some -- or extended to all, through a Medicare-for-All system, which would eliminate the commoditization of health care.
We eagerly await the Congresswoman's public support for Medicare-for-All legislation such as HR 676, when Congressional session resumes in September. We hope Ms. Davis will agree on coverage not just for some, but for all the daughters and daughter-in-laws out there in America. All lives have value, all are equally deserving. Read Ms. Davis' Congressional speech below...
HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS OF CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESMonday, July 24, 2006 Mrs. DAVIS of California.
Mr. Speaker, I support moving stem cell research forward and believe H.R. 810 will accomplish it in an ethical and responsible manner.
It is almost 2 years since my daughter-in-law Naomi, underwent a kidney transplant.
I marvel at the combined results of the manypeople and years of science and research that came before her which gave her that opportunity. Naomi was lucky and found an eligible donor in her brother. The transplant operation was a success. In fact, just a month ago, our family cheered on Naomi at the Transplant Olympics.
It seems like a happy ending, but the story does not end here. My daughter-in-law takes a number of drugs to keep her body from rejecting her new kidney. I hope her body will be able to support her transplant for many years. Hopefully, Naomi will not need to face another transplant for many, many years. Clearly, she may not be able to go to a sibling. Will new research bring her new hope?
Mr. Speaker, as you can see, I have a personal reason for seeing an expansion of the existing stem cell lines. New stem cell lines hold the promise of advancing medical research and providing cures to a number of diseases.After years of work, both the House and Senate passed bipartisan stem cell legislation. Unfortunately, President Bush vetoed this critical bill. Despite a valiant effort in the House, we could not override this veto.
We need to think about tomorrow—what kind of future do we want to provide for the millions of individuals who live with life-threatening illnesses and their families?
If we don’t move forward, we will not have the chance to develop innovative treatments, including the potential of growing kidneys. I hope I can give Naomi and other families like ours that chance.
(Photo: Congresswoman Susan Davis, D-San Diego)
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