[Serious Thread] Organ Donation

[KrazyHorse]

I know that english is your second language, so you are probably excused. That makes perfect sense both in danish and english

I find the idea that you per default is OD and have to say no, the right way

Comma fault and blatantly tortured sentence structure

If having saying no and later regret

Indeed

[St Jon]

Making the process automatic, non-personal, efficient...

I'd be concerned that some people involved in emergency care (as one example) might go hay-wire in their evaluations of patients.

Bad head trauma. Ohh, a runner. Nice heart there. Excellent lungs. What sort of life is this veg going to have anyway? ...

The issue of turning off life support for those declared brain dead is a separate and very difficult question in its' own right - rather like voluntary euthanasia - and not really part of the point I was making. I agree it does raise huge moral and ethical issues but would do so regardless of organ donation.

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.

Throughout history various exceptionally unpleasant people and regimes have thought of numerous ways of using bits of people for any number of 'inventive' purposes. I was certainly not venturing into the realms of 'harvesting' people for their organs.

[ricketyclik]

Saying that all organ donors would be placed of all non-organ donors does not mean that all organ donors would be treated equally. Those who had been organ donors for longer (scaled to take into account different ages?) would be placed ahead of those who had just become organ donors. Unless you think that people can reliably predict their need for organs decades ahead of time your objection is unsubstantiated. Even a bit of thought would have led you to this as the ideal solution.

I certainly agree with your general principle, I was simply pointing out that in many cases this would not be appropriate. Unfortunately many of those requiring organ donations can reliably predict their need for organs many years in advance. I'm thinking diabetes I, cystic fibrosis, that sort of thing.

[BlackCat]

I find the idea that you per default is OD and have to say no, the right way

Comma fault and blatantly tortured sentence structure

Please elaborate - I'm quite curious and want to learn

[Kuciwalker]

I've read (almost?) all the known space stories.

Really? I read Ringworld and a sequel or two, and none of them struck me as all that good compared to some of his other stuff (The Integral Trees )

[KrazyHorse]

I certainly agree with your general principle, I was simply pointing out that in many cases this would not be appropriate. Unfortunately many of those requiring organ donations can reliably predict their need for organs many years in advance. I'm thinking diabetes I, cystic fibrosis, that sort of thing.

We're talking about choices made when somebody reaches adulthood. The day you turn 18 and DON'T become an organ donor you're losing ground to those who do. The only major condition I can think of which would be predict the probable need for a replacement organ at that age is diabetes type I.

Now, the point is NOT that there are some people who can predict their need for organs. It is that the existence of these people does not strongly reduce the incentives for all others. In other words, for those in early adulthood, it is not the case that you can reliably predict that you will NOT need an organ in the distant future.

[St Jon]

I certainly agree with your general principle, I was simply pointing out that in many cases this would not be appropriate. Unfortunately many of those requiring organ donations can reliably predict their need for organs many years in advance. I'm thinking diabetes I, cystic fibrosis, that sort of thing.

Sadly, at the moment, most of those suffering from progressive degenerative disorders would be unlikely to benefit from transplant surgery. You can be diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease many years ahead of its' overt symptoms becoming debilitating but any treatment seems most likely to emerge from the pharmaceuticals industry rather than surgery.

[KrazyHorse]

Please elaborate - I'm quite curious and want to learn

Better:

I think the right way is for the choice to default to organ donation.

Now, not sure what the second part of your sentence was supposed to mean exactly, but my best guess would be:

That way, if you opt out of organ donation and later need a donation yourself, you would have actively made the choice which led to your situation.

[KrazyHorse]

Really? I read Ringworld and a sequel or two, and none of them struck me as all that good compared to some of his other stuff (The Integral Trees )

The Known Space short stories are far superior to the Ringworld books.

[Dinner]

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.

This is a good idea but really I don't think it will ever be implemented.

[BlackCat]

Better:

I think the right way is for the choice to default to organ donation.

Now, not sure what the second part of your sentence was supposed to mean exactly, but my best guess would be:

That way, if you opt out of organ donation and later need a donation yourself, you would have actively made the choice which led to your situation.

No offense, but I think that we need an english speaking person to sort this out - your "I think the right way is for the choice to default to organ donation" is a very complicated and unnessecary way of saying what I did.

[KrazyHorse]

Nice try, sweetheart, but you're not going to get a nibble. I gave you the benefit of the doubt and assumed that you wanted some actual pointers.

[BlackCat]

Well, dear, while you certainly are wreaking havoc on english by being a canuck, I do it by being a dane - problem is what is the best version of real english (don't forget that english more or less is a variant of danish )

[Jon Miller]

KH, how does it fit with the obvious point that younger people should get organ donations before older people (as the younger person might be good for 40 more years with a new heart, but the old man at 80 might be good for 5-10, non-working, years).

JM

[BlackCat]

That only happens if you have an discriminate queue - if it's an undiscriminate, this situation will not happen.