Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Undocumented donors: how driver’s licenses can help solve the U.S. organ shortage

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Public Health Policy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In 2013, Illinois enacted a new law (SB 957) to allow undocumented motorists to acquire Temporary Visitor Driver’s Licenses (TVDLs). We explored the impact of this legislation on organ donor registration in the state. Using Freedom of Information Act requests, we obtained the Illinois TVDL and general adult driver’s license applicant organ donation statistics for the last 3 years from the Illinois Secretary of State. We found that between 2017 and 2019, TVDLs directly resulted in 91,720 newly registered organ donors. This group registered as organ donors at rates significantly higher (p < 0.0001) than the general population. In the 3 years studied, only 7.3% of general driver’s license registrants became new organ donor registrants, while TVDL drivers signed up at an average rate of 44.9%. TVDLs resulted in a significant increase in registered organ donors. Similar policies implemented nationwide could increase donor registrations substantially. In addition, this finding among a population largely of Latin American origin may suggest strategies for future organ donor registration efforts globally.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Public Act 097–1157, S.B. 0957, 97th Illinois General Assembly. (2013) https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=957&GAID=11&DocTypeID=SB&SessionID=84&GA=97

  2. National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). States Offering Driver’s Licenses to Immigrants. National Conference of State Legislatures. https://www.ncsl.org/research/immigration/states-offering-driver-s-licenses-to-immigrants.aspx. Published February 8, 2021. Accessed 27 July 2021

  3. Highway Safety Coalition. Driver’s Licenses for ALL: Economic and Safety Benefits. National Conference of State Legislatures. https://www.nilc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Driver-Licenses-for-All-Highway-Safety-Coalition.pdf. Published November 17, 2012

  4. CASA de Maryland. Immigrant Licensure: What is Happening in Other States. National Conference of State Legislatures. https://www.nilc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/MD-2013-Talking-Points-Other-States.pdf. Published 2013.

  5. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Organ Donation Statistics. organdonor.gov: U.S. Government Information on Organ Donation and Transplantation. https://www.organdonor.gov/statistics-stories/statistics.html. Published October 14, 2021. Accessed 14 Oct 2021

  6. Caplan AL. Finding a solution to the organ shortage. CMAJ. 2016;188(16):1182–3. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.151260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Shanmugarajah K, Villani V, Madariaga MLL, Shalhoub J, Michel SG. Current progress in public health models addressing the critical organ shortage. Int J Surg. 2014;12(12):1363–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJSU.2014.11.011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Donate Life America, Donate Life America 2019 Annual Update. Published: 2019. https://www.donatelife.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/2019_AnnualUpdate.pdf

  9. Office of the Illinois Secretary of State. Secretary of State Organ/Tissue Donor Registry Factsheet. Life Goes On—Organ/Tissue Donor Program. https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/programs/organdonor/donation/factsheet17.pdf. Published 2017

  10. Silva JP, Maurina MN, Tsai S, et al. Effect of donor race-matching on overall survival for African-American patients undergoing liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma. J Am Coll Surg. 2019;228(3):245–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2018.11.016.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Donate Life America, National Donor Designation Report Card (Multiple: 2013–2016). https://www.donatelife.net/mission-vision/

  12. Migration Policy Institute. Profile of the Unauthorized Population: Illinois. migrationpolicy.org. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/data/unauthorized-immigrant-population/state/IL. Published June 1, 2020. Accessed 21 June 2020

  13. Office of the Illinois Secretary of State, FOIA Request Responses from Donna Leonard, Executive Counsel of the Illinois Secretary of State. May & June 2020

  14. Breitkopf CR. Attitudes, beliefs and behaviors surrounding organ donation among Hispanic women. Curr Opin Organ Transplant. 2009;14(2):191–5. https://doi.org/10.1097/mot.0b013e328329255c.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Migration Policy Institute. Profile of the Unauthorized Population: United States. Migrationpolicy.org. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/data/unauthorized-immigrant-population/state/US. Published June 1, 2020. Accessed 21 June 2020

  16. Salim A, Ley EJ, Berry C, et al. Increasing organ donation in Hispanic Americans: the role of media and other community outreach efforts. JAMA Surg. 2014;149(1):71–6. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamasurg.2013.3967.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Donate Life America, Donate Life America 2017 Annual Update. Published: 2017. https://www.donatelife.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/2017_AnnualUpdate_singlepages_small.pdf

  18. DeRoos LJ, Marrero WJ, Tapper EB, et al. Estimated Association between organ availability and presumed consent in solid organ transplant. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(10):e1912431. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.12431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Donor Network West. Mexican Consulate celebrates contribution of undocumented immigrants registered as donors. Donor Network West. https://www.donornetworkwest.org/news/mexican-consulate-celebrates-contribution-undocumented-immigrants-registered-donors/. Published April 9, 2015. Accessed 23 June 2020

  20. Kopetman R. An influx of immigrants getting driver's licenses also means more organ donors. Orange County Register. https://www.ocregister.com/2015/03/19/an-influx-of-immigrants-getting-drivers-licenses-also-means-more-organ-donors/. Published March 19, 2015. Accessed 23 June 2020

  21. Pullen LC. Transplantation and Undocumented Immigrants: a Tale of Two States. Am J Transplant. 2019;19:2665–7. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajt.15587.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Kaiser Family Foundation. Health Coverage of Immigrants. KFF. https://www.kff.org/disparities-policy/fact-sheet/health-coverage-of-immigrants/. Published March 18, 2020. Accessed 2 July 2020

  23. Ansell D, Pallok K, Guzman MD, Flores M, Oberholzer J. Illinois law opens door to kidney transplants for undocumented immigrants. Health Aff. 2015;34(5):781–7. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2014.1192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Office of the Illinois Secretary of State, Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), Chicago, IL, USA

    William Alexander Henry Schwartz & Luvia Quiñones

  2. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    William Alexander Henry Schwartz

Authors
  1. William Alexander Henry Schwartz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Luvia Quiñones
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to William Alexander Henry Schwartz.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (XLSX 16 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Schwartz, W.A.H., Quiñones, L. Undocumented donors: how driver’s licenses can help solve the U.S. organ shortage. J Public Health Pol 42, 550–558 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-021-00306-w

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-021-00306-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation