Congressman Mike Rulli said, after hearing of a 12 year old who was allegedly denied an organ transplant because she was not vaccinated against COVID-19, he wanted to see a change.

Rulli, along with Congresswoman Erin Houchin introduced H.R. 1381, legislation that would ban hospitals from refusing transplants based on vaccination status.

"This may be questioned a little bit different if we were back in the COVID era which we are not right now so the child does not have COVID, is perfectly healthy, qualified for every requirement that they had for the heart transplant until they pulled the records and saw that the child was never vaccinated," Rulli said. "If you go back three or four years, if the child right now I believe is 12, that would've put the child at 9. That's a pretty young age for a mom and dad to decide whether they're going to get the COVID vaccine. It's a heart transplant and if she doesn't get it she will die," he said.

The issue is whether transplant patients who refuse the shots are risking not only their own health but also increasing the risk that the hard to come by organ will be rejected. That's because the recovery period already suppresses the immune system.

It's similar to requirements that smokers quit before being eligible for a lung or an alcoholic quit drinking before getting a liver. Rulli disagrees.

"Organs are very tough to come by and it is a very long list to be on an organ transplant however, if you meet every single requirement and the requirement that they're talking about is obsolete from three or four years ago, I think an exception-- that's why we kept it with just COVID and not all the vaccines," Rulli said.

Rulli feels that by denying this care to unvaccinated individuals, doctors are not honoring the oaths they took at the beginning of their careers.

"When you first become a doctor or surgeon, you are sworn to uphold life at all costs," Rulli said. "So they're actually going against their values and the oath that they chose to take when they chose this profession," he said.

Rulli tells 21 News he wants to work with doctors toward a solution that would work for everyone.

"The hospitals that are worried about this bill, if they contact either Erin's office or my office, we would be willing to entertain any kind of amendment so these hospitals would be comfortable with this bill," Rulli said.

Rulli said that even with speedy movement, they would be lucky to have the bill passed by summer.