[Skarlath]

Anyone here carry a organ donation card? Anyone have any thoughts on them?


Organ shortages for transplants is clearly a real hinderance, and without a doubt a lot of people die due to a lack of organs being donated. Once dead you clearly aren't going to be using them, so why do you need to hang on to them?

To be honest i'm not entirely sure where my own view lies, but I am inclined to believe that the current organ donation system in American or the UK isn't as it should be. Shouldn't the default be that your organs are used, unless you have opted out with a "Don't cut me up!" card?

A lot of people most likely don't understand how organ donation works and perhaps don't even know about donor cards. These are willing organs being put to waste because of the system's 'default'. It seems a little weird that your body could potentially just be 'used' straight away, but think of the effect it would have on organ supply! Transplantable organs would be in abundance, every hospital with stocks of multiple organs of different blood types and such...

Shouldn't we be trying to save a few more lives?

So - thoughts on donor cards, organ transplants in general and the state claiming organs by default for the good of humanity, anybody?

[Astraad]

I carry a donor card. In the UK, however, just carrying a card is only a start, it helps more if you sign up as an organ donor on the NHS organ donor register. That way, if you're not carrying your card when you're taken to hospital, your status as a potential donor in the event of your death is still known. However, your family still need to give their permission before your organs can be taken.

Here's the website if any UK peeps are interested: http://www.uktransplant.org.uk/ukt/

I agree that the shortage of organs is a terrible situation. However, switching the default to donation rather than non-donation has its own problems. There would always be plenty of people who weren't aware they had to opt out, and thus wouldn't be able to give their consent, even if their family agreed after they died....if you see what I mean.

[rabb1t]

I'll probably do it eventually... but a part of me always wonders if the ancient Egyptians are correct. What if, by separating out your parts, you will linger. Imagine how confused you'd be if say 5 of your parts survived but were scattered all over the country.

[Severoth]

My state driver's liscense says that I'm an organ donor. It's been that way since I was 15 years old. Is the state I.D. sufficient? Or do I need to register else where with some other government agency (like the NHS) or organization (maybe Red Cross)?

[Labyrrinth]

I too have signed my license indicating my wish to be an organ donar. However, like Astraad pointed out, that my not always be enough. If your family doesn't know of your wishes, your license or card isn't on you at the time of your death, etc., your status is "up in the air."

Originally Posted by Astraad

That way, if you're not carrying your card when you're taken to hospital, your status as a potential donor in the event of your death is still known. However, your family still need to give their permission before your organs can be taken.

In the US, if you're registered nationally as an organ donor, the Dr's don't need the permission of your family.

Here's one site you can register at...Living Legacy

[Razorwire]

I was a donor in the States but signed the UK registry today. thanks for the link.

[Skarlath]

Thanks for the UK link.

As you said, its a bit tricky if people didn't realise you had to opt out. However as you said - family still must consent even if you are on the register here in England. This is surely something that can be changed without much trouble. If someone signs the register then it's great to be able to respect their decision, and if they were recorded as having signed it but hadn't actually then it's not that bad - the hospital is hardly at fault because as far as they knew the dead person *had* signed.

I was quite surprised that on the UK site is says that 22% of the UK population are signed up! That's MUCH higher than I thought it would be. However I can't help but think that perhaps the distribution of these people by factors like income may be uneven. It's very possible that those who tend to be happy to donate are those who are perhaps those who are a little more worldly, and therefore quite possibly the type of people who are more likely to look after their health and live till their organs are no longer of use to themselves or anyone else. Those who are more wealthy tend to be better informed about health related matters, but also better at keeping themselves in good shape.

Originally Posted by Rabb1t

I'll probably do it eventually... but a part of me always wonders if the ancient Egyptians are correct. What if, by separating out your parts, you will linger. Imagine how confused you'd be if say 5 of your parts survived but were scattered all over the country.

Well where are the egyption gods these days, eh? They let their empire fall to ruin - I think that might tell you a little something about the validity of the egyption beliefs.

If there was such a thing as a soul, and it was in fact attached to our organs (perhaps our heart, awww..) then it'd be great to be transplanted - you could float around with someone for another 5-10 years rather than being chucked in a whole in the ground or burnt to cinders. :P


The response so far clearly is that you all believe its a good thing to do. But what about types of organs? Did you tick "Take it all, I won't be using any of them" or are there certain organs or tissues you would prefer not to be taken for transplants?

What about cadavers? I was reading somewhere a little while back that there is quite a shortage of cadavers for our doctors to train on. If for whatever reason your organs and tissues couldn't be transplanted (left too long, infects with HIV etc) do you think that being used for medical research or cadavers is still something you would like to happen?


I'd also definitely like to hear from anyone who has a real objection to transplants - even if its just in regard to their *own* organs - for whatever reason. It's always nice to hear all sides.

[rabb1t]

Originally Posted by Skarlath

Well where are the egyption gods these days, eh? They let their empire fall to ruin - I think that might tell you a little something about the validity of the egyption beliefs.

Jafa 'cre!

burnt to cinders

Ah but what if the soul is attached to the body and the only way to release it is by burning it?

[Skarlath]

Originally Posted by rabb1t

Ah but what if the soul is attached to the body and the only way to release it is by burning it?

Then a lot of spirit's are going to be rather annoyed at being stuck in the ground whilst others float freeee.

But I digress.

[Dorfeater]

I too am stuck on the choice.

As of now.. I am not an organ donor. Not because I think it's wrong or something, just because I'm not sure where my religious/spiritual beliefs lie right now. So therefore, I haven't made any choices regarding that yet.

Being agnostic sucks sometimes. Lol.

[Skarlath]

Hehe

I am an atheist, but I do not believe that it has much of an effect on my decision to donate organs. If there is a God, why would they frown upon transplants? What happened to sanctity of life - it is a good and noble thing to save someone. Surely they would want you to donate organs to save lives.

I don't want this to turn into a religious debate, but are there any christians reading this who feel that their religious values strongly dictate that they should not donate organs?

The potential idea of a soul? If anyone could, i'd love to be shown where in the Bible the soul is first talked about - if at all. I kind of got the impression that the old testament saw humans as meaty machines - in Genesis didn't God say to Adam something along the lines of "You are dust and to dust you shall return"?

Does that not suggest that there is nothing special about our organs, and if there is nothing special about them then transplants are just replacing spare parts. Nothing wrong with that, is there?

[Gimfalisette]

Originally Posted by Skarlath

I don't want this to turn into a religious debate, but are there any christians reading this who feel that their religious values strongly dictate that they should not donate organs?

I am a Christian, I'm ok with organ donation, however there are indeed some Christians who are strongly opposed to practices such as cremation due to passages in the New Testament that refer to "rising from the grave in order to meet the Lord in the air" and that sort of thing. I don't know for certain that they would extend it to organ donation, but I do think it's a strong possibility.

Then there are also Christians who are 100% opposed to standard medical intervention, believing instead that only "faith healing" is allowable and that God will heal them / whoever if they pray hard enough and their faith is strong enough. I suspect they might be opposed to organ donation too...since that's definitely a medical vs. divine intervention.

I don't know where the soul is first talked about via the use of the term "soul" in the Bible, but the word is definitely in the New Testament. And it's generally accepted by Christians that the breath of life given to Adam by God was life/spirit, i.e. soul. The "likeness" of God is spirit, among other things.

When God said the "dust" line to Adam, it was after Adam and Eve had eaten the fruit. And I imagine he was pretty pissed off at the time. The line doesn't mean "you don't have a soul," rather it's part of the litany of bad things that God says are now going to happen to Adam. Before they ate the fruit, they were never going to have to leave Eden, and they were never going to die, and they were never going to be separate from God; afterwards all these bad things were true. "To dust you will return" was God saying, "You're going to die someday." I bet Adam was pretty shocked at that news.

[rabb1t]

Consider my Christian Mythos skill is about 5...

I believe it would be against their values if they heavily follow the beliefs in that if someone is going to die that is 'God calling them to him' and by interrupting that (such as by giving them a transplant) that would 'go against Gods will'.

Also aren't there sections which reference God 'testing' people by giving them disease / cancer, etc? Again, repairing that through transplant may go against such beliefs.

Now a Fatalist (what I am) would say, 'oh hey, this part is for me (or them) k thanks. '

[Zod]

My driver's license says part-me-out upon my death. (Well, the verbiage is slightly different) But I chose that. Opt-in.

Who here enjoys receiving:
- Telemarketing calls all night long?
- Physical junk mail?
- Spam Email?
- Spam faxes?
- Spam text messages on your phone?
- Sales flyers taped to your car?
- Sales flyers taped to your house?
- Door-to-door salesmen?
- Religious salespeople/witnesses/whatever knocking on your door?
Those are all examples of opt-out systems.

No matter how much somebody claims otherwise, opt-out is nothing more than a systemic means to disregard the person's right-to-choose and impose something on them unless they spend the time and effort to fight for the right that should never have been taken away from them in the first place.

I don't like the idea of anything that makes me have to work harder to unmake a change that someone else decided to make for my life (or death). I'd rather they just respect me enough to let me make my own decisions.

[Dillgaar]

the worst part about it is the family trumping your donor card wishes... if your family says no then they wont take your organs even if you have your sticker

[Golu]

Belgium it is that exact way... they use your organs unless you have it written or your family says that they dont want you cut up

[Skarlath]

Originally Posted by Golu

Belgium it is that exact way... they use your organs unless you have it written or your family says that they dont want you cut up

Do the family HAVE to okay it, or is it a matter of the family needs to intervene before it happens, otherwise they might be too late and your organs have already been given away?

[JAdams]

I'm a christian, and I've always been taught when we get to heaven we get new bodies. I'm more in the camp of "I'll see when I get there..."