Mason Trailblazer: Charlotte Woodward

Description:

George Mason University sociology major Charlotte Woodward has tirelessly advocated for the rights of people with disabilities—and she is being recognized for her efforts.

In December 2021, U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced a federal legislation named for her: the Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act (S.3301), designed to prevent discrimination by health care providers against people with disabilities who need organ transplants.

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE: In their statement, the senators noted, “The bill is named after Charlotte Woodward, an advocate with Down syndrome who received a heart transplant nine years ago and has fought to raise the issue of organ transplant discrimination in various states, including her home state of Virginia.”