[Serious Thread] Organ Donation

[St Jon]

Here in the UK we are invited to carry Organ Donation Cards specifying our wish to have our kidneys, heart, liver etc donated in the event of our death for transplant surgery. You tick the box for what you wish to donate, from kidneys through to everything, put name and no. of next of kin and sign the card. All very straightforward and easy it seems but in truth far from it. I have always carried a card specifying that any part of my body can be used but it actually has no legal bearing at all. Should I die I would have to be left on ice until my next of kin could be contacted and give their written consent without which nothing can be done.

Regardless of my clear wishes being indicated by that card they can still be vetoed by wife, parents or sibling. I regard this as an appalling situation when their are many people waiting years for compatible organs to become available for life saving operations. The very last thing that a grieving relative wishes to have asked is if their dead loved one can have bits of his body cut out PDQ.

I am very much in favour of organ donation and personally believe that the situation should be reversed and that you should need to carry a card specifying your wish NOT to have your organs used and that a lack of such a card should be taken as implicit consent. Obviously minors would have to be exempted from this and parental consent be given first.

I do not know how the laws stand in the US, or elsewhere, on this issue but would be interested to hear how others feel about this and how the laws vary in different nations.

[KrazyHorse]

My preferred response is that those who choose to allow their organs to be used in the event of their death be given priority in the event that they need an organ transplant over those who selfishly do not.

[BlackCat]

Currently we are in kind of a transition - previous, organ donation could be overruled by next of kin, so people with the old allowance has to renew to avoid such. New allowances can't be overruled.

We also has the discussion wether OD should be default and you should applicate for not be a such. Maybe in some 5-10 years, it will be so.

[BlackCat]

My preferred response is that those who choose to allow their organs to be used in the event of their death be given priority in the event that they need an organ transplant over those who selfishly do not.

Why do you hate Ben so much

[ricketyclik]

My preferred response is that those who choose to allow their organs to be used in the event of their death be given priority in the event that they need an organ transplant over those who selfishly do not.

The problem with that is that anyone needing an organ donation is likely to have sub-standard (diseased or stressed) organs.

I agree with St Jon - the default should be that one's organs are up for grabs.

[loinburger]

I remember somebody (Sava?) telling me a few years back that I was basically Hitler for opining that people should have to pay a tax for opting out of organ donation, and I guess I'm still basically Hitler.

[BlackCat]

The problem with that is that anyone needing an organ donation is likely to have sub-standard (diseased or stressed) organs.

I agree with St Jon - the default should be that one's organs are up for grabs.

Not nessecarily. You can easily be an willing OD when being a sub-standard donor - There will still be lots of parts that could be harvested.

KH's stance is more like, if you won't want to contribute, then you end at the end of the queue.

[KrazyHorse]

The problem with that is that anyone needing an organ donation is likely to have sub-standard (diseased or stressed) organs.

You aren't particularly good at logical thinking, are you...

[notyoueither]

The problem with that is that anyone needing an organ donation is likely to have sub-standard (diseased or stressed) organs.

I agree with St Jon - the default should be that one's organs are up for grabs.

As a knee-jerk reaction, I don't think so.

This might introduce all sorts of ethical questions about care for the badly injured/ seriously ill.

[loinburger]

There was a Larry Niven (I think) short story where organ donation was mandatory, so prisoners were executed (and their organs harvested) for such offenses as jaywalking.

[KrazyHorse]

Not nessecarily. You can easily be an willing OD when being a sub-standard donor - There will still be lots of parts that could be harvested.

My suggestion would not be to push somebody to the front of the line the instant they sign an organ donation card. If somebody has chosen, for the last 30 years, to not be an organ donor, finds out that he needs a kidney and signs his organ donor card he would be behind the person who's been signed up as an organ donor his entire adult life.

[KrazyHorse]

As a knee-jerk reaction, I don't think so.

This might introduce all sorts of ethical questions about care for the badly injured/ seriously ill.

I have no idea why you think that

[ricketyclik]

You aren't particularly good at logical thinking, are you...

I call ad hominem.

Perhaps I worded it a bit strongly, but I still think there is going to be a tendency.

[notyoueither]

There was a Larry Niven (I think) short story where organ donation was mandatory, so prisoners were executed (and their organs harvested) for such offenses as jaywalking.

You may not need fiction to approach this.

[KrazyHorse]

There was a Larry Niven (I think) short story where organ donation was mandatory, so prisoners were executed (and their organs harvested) for such offenses as jaywalking.

There is no logical connection between organ donation in being mandatory for all citizens and convicts being executed to harvest their organs.