Organ-Donor Law Named After Rockland Kid Made Permanent

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill Monday that removes the expiration language from Lauren's Law, making it permanent in New York State. Lauren’s Law was named for Lauren Shields, a Rockland County resident who received a life-saving heart transplant at age eight and has since been an advocate for organ donation. The law was originally passed in 2012 and required driver's license applicants to complete the organ donor registry section instead of leaving it blank.

The bill was sponsored by State Senator David Carlucci.

"Almost 10,000 New Yorkers are still waiting on transplant lists and we can do more to help them out," Carlucci said in a press release. "By requiring that driver's license applicants answer if they would be organ donors or not instead of skipping the section, the pool of donors will naturally expand over time and help save many more lives."

Since Lauren's Law first went into effect, New York's organ donor registry has grown. It now has the fourth-fastest growing organ donor registry in the nation, Carlucci said.

Shields, of Stony Point, is now 17 and a senior at Albertus Magnus High School in Bardonia, NY. She said she was grateful to Cuomo for making Lauren's Law permanent.

"So many New Yorkers will be saved as a result. I am in awe that for generations to come, this law will be in effect and continue to increase the number of New Yorkers enrolled in the state registry," she said. "In addition, I am so extremely thankful to the New York State Legislature, who continue to support the cause of donation, and especially Senator Carlucci and Assemblyman Ortiz for their tireless efforts."

PHOTOS: Lauren in the hospital./ contributed

Oct. 3, 2017, Sen. David Carlucci is flanked by Lauren Shields and Roxanne Watson while calling on Gov. Cuomo to make Lauren's Law permanent. Watson received a heart transplant in 2010 and since then she has signed up over 10,000 people to be organ donors. She's an advocate for organ donation and a big supporter of Lauren's Law. The three of them have worked together on this issue for years./contributed