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.
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.
On the other hand, they would have let her die if she was not a donor.
It’s crazy to see validated conspiracy right there out the NYT. As it reads, seems these procurement companies need to stop influencing doctors.
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 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.
I don’t even have an organ. Hell I don’t even know how to play one!
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.
If the donor’s family were paid, it would no longer be a donation, it would be a sale. That opens the door for things like trafficking people to sell their organs.
And the hospital doesn’t really make a ton of money from the transplant, they get paid for the entire stay. And if you are there for a transplant you need a ton of care and it costs the hospital a ton of money to take care of you. US hospitals are not a huge money making business.
it would no longer be a donation, it would be a sale.
A friend’s father received a liver, among the line items of the $1.05M bill was $86,000 for the liver. So yes, organs are being sold.
US hospitals are not a huge money making business.
We’ll stop there. This is a USD 5.45 billion/yr INDUSTRY. The only people NOT making money are the donor’s families.
I’ve been working in hospitals for 20 years and have seen our finances, they make very little profit on inpatient admissions, most patients are losses. Outpatient surgery and things like that are how they make money.
Take your number of 5.45 billion profit for the industry. There are 6100 hospitals in the US. That’s an average of $893,442 per hospital. That’s not a lot of profit.
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.
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.
My dad was an organ donor when his brain died. The next day after the 24 hour period to confirm brain death, I was sitting with my brother and stepmother waiting to have the plug pulled when a lady walked into the room and introduced herself “as part of my father’s care team.” I don’t remember much of what she said because I was focused on waiting for the end and she wasn’t wearing scrubs so I didn’t really care what she had to say, but she left and after another couple hours I learned that she was from the Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) for our State, my dad was a donor, and they weren’t pulling the plug until they took him to a different hospital for organ harvesting.
The rest of that day was a blur but my stepmom was pissed, the next morning my dad’s body was in the same room, that lady was apparently fired, there was a new guy and gal as well as their boss to talk with us, they told us they weren’t going away. Eventually they agreed to perform the harvesting surgery there so we could walk to the OR with him. We were asked if we wanted a “hero walk” where the nurses and doctors take time away from actually helping people to clap for a corpse being walked down the hall, which was the dumbest fucking thing I’d ever heard of.
I wasn’t there when my dad’s brain died in the middle of the night. I thought I’d be there as his body functions shut down over the course of a half hour, but instead the last I saw of him before he was cremated was his still breathing corpse being pushed down a hallway. I got a text that his heart had stopped a couple hours later.
Across North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin there are only something like 350 organ donations a year because the body needs to be either very fresh and preserved or brain dead to keep the organs intact for harvesting. If you are a donor, it is very unlikely that your organs will actually be donated, but if they are, it can add a whole extra layer of shitty to an already awful situation for the family. Obviously this is just my experience and it’s probably unusual for people to be fired so it was probably an especially bad one, but you asked and this is my answer to your question. I’m still not sure if I’m going to be a donor next time I renew my license. I don’t think I will until I add a stipulation to my will to allow my family to override it if they feel a need to.
I am an organ donor myself but there are a few different reasons people are not
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superstition and religious beliefs. Some religions are against it.
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a belief that doctors won’t try as hard to save them if they can use their organs to save more people
- Opposite of 2, you’ll be in pain longer because they want to keep your organs alive.
My worry that I’m probably going to write into my AD next time I revise it is that they won’t anesthetize me enough to soothe whatever dregs are left of my brain into it’s good night.
Mine is reason 2. Ideally yes, the system is set up to not allow for that, but I think we all know that corrupt people tend to find ways around “foolproof” systems.
Mind you, my organs probably aren’t worth a darn anyway, but again, some people won’t care about that.
Some people do put way too much faith in those in authority following rules
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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!
There are religions that forbid it. A lot of people just don’t care either.
Nothing in the bible about it.
Not every religion uses the Bible.
Does anyone remember the time the US military blew up a Grandma?
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.
