Apple CEO Steve Jobs attended and spoke at the legislation signing ceremony for the United States’ first nation wide kidney donor registry program in California on Tuesday. Mr. Jobs was credited by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with helping create the drive to create the California bill for the registry.
“I want to thank Steve Jobs for bringing it to my attention,” the Governor said.
Mr. Jobs is keenly aware of the need for organ donors since he was the recipient of a new liver in 2009 following his battle with pancreatic cancer.
Steve Jobs at California’s donor registry legislation event
“As a transplant recipient, I know how precious this gift of life is,” Mr. Jobs said when he spoke at the bill signing ceremony. “And on behalf of those future transplant recipients who will now receive organs because of this new law, I want to thank governor Schwarzenegger, Senator Elaine Alquist and all of the legislators who voted for this law.”
According to Governor Schwarzenegger, the new law will make it easier for hospitals to match potential kidney donors with recipients, and will help to increase the number of organ donors that are listed in the state’s database.
Mr. Jobs publicly spoke in support of the organ donor registry program in March at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, California. “Last year, 400 other Californians died waiting. I could have died,” he said.
A video of the signing event is available at the tweetcast Web site in Flash format.
[Thanks to Cult of Mac for the heads up.]