To me everyone should be. Think it’s kind of selfish to let viable organs go to waste when people are in need for them.
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In my experience, some of the people that I have met that aren’t organ donors are afraid that the hospitals and doctors will do less to save you if you’re in an accident so that they can use all of your organs to “save” many more people. It’s dumb, but I’ve met a scary amount of folks who believe that.
It’s not entirely unjustified.
A Push for More Organ Transplants Is Putting Donors at Risk
People across the United States have endured rushed or premature attempts to remove their organs. Some were gasping, crying or showing other signs of life …
A surgeon made an incision in her chest and sawed through her breastbone.
That’s when the doctors discovered her heart was beating. She appeared to be breathing. They were slicing into Ms. Hawkins while she was alive.
There’s also the chance you’ll get sold to be blown up
Why do they paywall all the fun stuff behind being dead
I consent to this
That part doesn’t matter one single shit to me. So what? I’d be dead. It doesn’t matter what happens to my body when I’m dead.
For that matter, why should anyone give a shit? Society has this really illogical view on corpses. We place way too much reverence on empty husks of meat. They are dead. Dead. The person who was there is gone. Their body is not them.
And if the person had some dying wish to be buried or cremated or anything like that, you don’t have to honor it. That’s the thing about respecting the wishes of dead people; they are dead, their opinion matters as much as the opinion of a brick. You don’t honor their memory by spending thousands of dollars to put an empty husk of meat pumped full of chemicals into a gaudy box and bury it in the ground next to hundreds of other boxes filled with empty meat husks. You honor their memory by remembering them. That’s it.
Have a funeral. Have a remembrance party. Mourn them with stories, with tears, and with an abundance of drink and unhealthy comfort food. The body does not need to be a part of it.
It’s crazy to see validated conspiracy right there out the NYT. As it reads, seems these procurement companies need to stop influencing doctors.
On the other hand, they would have let her die if she was not a donor.
I don’t want to provide any profit incentive for my death. Same reason life insurance makes me uncomfortable as well. It’s not rational.
In some US states, it’s opt out when you get ID or drivers license. I think that’s a better way to go about it
I very much agree. Also, in a lot of places, that indicator on your license is not legally binding, the decision still comes down to your next of kin.
A system where everyone is a donor by default, but can opt out in a low-effort manner such as sending off a signed declaration, would still allow those with a genuine desire not to be donors the ability to do so, but would greatly increase the donor pool by capturing the majority of indifferent people who simply have not made the effort to opt in.
Opt out is fair at a minimum. Driving is the most dangerous thing we do, and if you’re going to do it, there’s an argument to be made that throwing your organ donor chip into the pot is the least you could do, because you could very well cause an accident someday that costs someone their life.
I agree with you, but as someone who does not drive, I still get a state ID with my organ donor status. If the law is opt-out, it would apply for anyone getting an ID, not just drivers.
If driving is the reason to make it opt out, I don’t see why that couldn’t be changed for state ID.
Though really I don’t see a problem with it being opt out for all. Many places do it that way.
I know someone who works in the organ donation industry, and that’s what’s made me question wanting to be an organ donor more than anything. The dilemma for me boils down to 1. You need to not be dead dead for your organs to be harvested 2. We are not really that good at determining what’s good enough dead vs definitely alive but seems dead when time is critical, doctors are busy, and there’s people actively pressuring for the transplant to happen.
I don’t even have an organ. Hell I don’t even know how to play one!
I think few people would object to it if they were told it was an option, but the default is “no” in most countries and many people just don’t think to opt in.
Some people such as myself can neither be blood nor organ donors because their bodies are undesirable.
Examples: Cancer, Leukemia, HIV, TB, Leiden V Factor, etc.
People with such issues are often incompatible donors.
Also severe allergies. I’ve been told I couldn’t be an organ donor due to anaphylaxis. You can donate blood with heterozygous Leiden V factor though.
That’s definitely not true. When I was waiting for lungs I originally said I only wanted a high quality organ but I got so sick I signed a waiver saying I would take whatever, some things will disqualify you sure but even things like HIV are fine because it’s considered something that can be managed with meds.
That’s definitely not true. some things will disqualify you sure but even things like HIV are fine because it’s considered something that can be managed with meds.
Then you must not live in the USA and have country requirements that are different than the USA:
quote: ‘Very few medical conditions permanently disqualify someone from donating. The short list includes active, spreading cancer and certain infectious diseases: HIV/AIDS (with an important exception discussed below), active hepatitis B or C, active tuberculosis, MRSA infections, and prion diseases like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. These conditions pose a direct transmission risk to the recipient that can’t be managed.’
The exception:
‘Since 1988, donating organs while HIV-positive was banned in the United States. That changed with the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act, which lifted the federal ban in 2015. HIV-positive individuals can now donate organs to HIV-positive recipients. These transplants currently take place under research protocols with oversight from the National Institutes of Health, and transplant centers must receive specific approval to participate. This shift has opened a new source of organs for HIV-positive patients who previously faced longer waits.’
So generally not acceptable, but sometimes acceptable depending on the organ and the NIH oversight committee.
source:
https://scienceinsights.org/who-can-be-an-organ-donor-eligibility-explained/
No I do, I had to agree to it. Granted that was in 2014, absolutely possible they’re trying to ratchet down on it though since keeping organ recipients alive is expensive and often falls on the government I’m sure legislation to make it harder for us to get organs would be cost effective, especially if they weren’t top notch.
If you sit down and give the topic all due fair consideration, yes, there’s only one rational conclusion. However a lot of people just don’t want to think about dying, period, and will switch off on anything that makes them do so. I’m sure there are also misinformed people who think their organs can be freely stolen even if they’re not dead yet if they check that box.
I’m not justifying these people, mind you. I’m just describing how it happens. There is no good reason, but there are reasons.
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Instant flashback to Repo! The Genetic Opera. The future where “Upgrading” organs has become a fashion statement, and financing organs the norm. If you can’t pay your debt, expect the Repo Man, The Night Surgeon!
Religion
People are being a bit cynical in the comments, so I’ll share my experience which is a bit different.
I felt an irrational fear when I checked the box to become an organ donor a few years ago.
I rationally knew it was the right thing to do, but it felt bad nonetheless. Nowadays I just no longer think about it.
So my guess is that many people are scared of it, but no one wants to admit that.
My only problem with organ donation in the US is the recipient gets a huge bill, including $86,000 for the actual liver. The donors family gets nothing.
So if someone gets into an accident and eventually dies, and is a donor, the family gets a massive bill, and the hospital makes $1M from the recipient.
I’ve got a family member who has heard tell of folks having their organs harvested while still alive, and that’s enough for them to say no. Helps them sleep at night, so fair enough. Your peace of mind has value.
Also I think maybe the catholics are against it? It would fit their whole schtik. Can’t day I care enough about what they think to find out though.
While it is the right thing to do, it’s the final fuck you from hospital corporations as you still get billed for everything before death, and they bill the recipient >$1M. Organ donation is big money.
I’m a donor (woe betide whoever gets anything from me) but I totally understand not being OK with it. This guy says we won’t need them, but that’s unknowable. Maybe there’s a bunch of donors at the gate not being let in until the rest of them gets there. But if ever you have a right to claim ownership over anything, it’s your body. Your organs aren’t collective property others have a right to. You fuck off, these are my organs is a totally reasonable position.
I mean…some organs you do not want. Like my colon. You do NOT want my colon.
Logic says my liver SHOULD be dead by now, but somehow I’ve had no issues. Sooooooo, maybe give it to an alcoholic? Apperently booze has no impact on my liver. How it survived my 20s, I’ll never know.
And my brain??? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Oh, sorry. I was just imagining what it would be like if a silverback gorilla decided it wanted to tickle you. Because what are you gonna do? Get tickled by a gorilla, that’s what! Oh, also, my brain is weird. Probably don’t want anyone being given that.
Conspiracy theories and actual corruption.
People are afraid doctors will kill them to get the organs. Doctors don’t want to deal with those accusations so will not take organs without clear consent from family. Some places are actually opt-out, doctors have enough legal protection and public trust is high enough that doctors will take organs without waiting for consent from family. In other places…
I remember some case from Poland where as a part of corruption case doctor was accused of killing a patient to harvest his organs. The patient was allegedly in a coma and the doctor disconnected him from life support to get the organs. This was clearly a witch hunt, all the other doctors got scared and transplantations in the entire country went down as a result.
So in many places people simply don’t trust the doctors and will not give consent. There’s also a lot of superstition and religious thinking involved.
