‘Justina's Law’ Set to Make Everyone in Argentina an Organ Donor

(Bloomberg) -- Spurred into action by the death of a 12-year-old girl awaiting a heart transplant, Argentina is about to make everyone an organ donor.

The lower house of Congress unanimously passed a bill late Wednesday that makes all citizens in the nation of 44 million donors unless they explicitly express otherwise. Only 287 citizens had elected to donate their organs this year, according to government statistics.

The bill, which had already passed the Senate unanimously, was named "Justina's Law" after Justina Lo Cane, who died in November waiting for a heart transplant. Her family attended the vote Wednesday. The law now heads to the offices of President Mauricio Macri. It is similar to legislation passed in other nations, such as France and the Netherlands.

There are 7,727 Argentines waiting for organ transplants. It wasn't immediately clear how someone could declare they do not want to be an organ donor.

To contact the reporter on this story: Patrick Gillespie in Buenos Aires at pgillespie29@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Vivianne Rodrigues at vrodrigues3@bloomberg.net, Philip Sanders

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.