If you're 16 or 17, it turns out that you're actually allowed to be an organ donor in 48 states across the United States. The newest is New York, with the Young Adult Law coming into effect just this week. It's an important choice to make, since the waiting list for organs across the U.S. currently numbers nearly 120,000 people.
Organ donation saves lives every day in a very real and tangible way, and the ability to become a donor as a 16-year-old reflects the desperate necessity for a wide range of donors. LiveOnNY, the organization that spearheaded the fight for the new law in New York, views it as one of the biggest ways in which to widen the pool. LiveOnNY's CEO, Helen Irving, tells Bustle that the new lower minimum age is "another positive step" for New York in particular, which also has "one of the fastest growing registries in the country, and, most importantly, an increase in lives saved ... It aligns New York with 47 other states with minimum ages of 16 or younger, and should result in more young adults seeking information about donation, discussing donation, and, if inspired, registering as lifesaving organ donors.”
The LiveOnNY people are doing an "I Can't But I Can" campaign in high schools that highlights the many things people of 16 can't legally do in the U.S., and the one big thing they can: register as organ donors. When it comes to health, though, there are more entries on the "can" side than you might think.
