Organ Donation - How do you feel about it.

I've been wondering, how far are you willing to go, ie. giving blood, being a organ donor. Who you leave it up to when you (like it or not) pass away. if you've aranged anything. If your for or against it. i'm intrested.

My oppinion.

I am willing to give blood any time, i have a rare bloodtype O-Negative, the one that goes on every other type of blood, so if i can help i will plus another motivation or reason to do so is, when i was four i had cancer and i was in bad shape and needed blood, so you can geuss it was pretty difficult to get my bloodtype, but they did found it, and so i want to give my blood, to help other poeple with that same problem.

when organs come to play i want to give everything i can miss, if i can save another life when i die, i would gladly do so.

I've aranged everything with my parents, they know my wishes and they know a lot too in the hospital.

So you can say i'm for donations.

Your thoughts?

 

Once I'm through with them, you can have whatever's left.

My kidneys probably won't do anyone much good, though.

AYBABTU?

 

Question: Do you think organ donation, after death, should be compulsory? Only if there is a clear need/match, of course.

 

Not compulsory. While I don't have a problem with it, some families, either by religious belief or other, may want to make their own decisions regarding their loved one.

AYBABTU?

 

I would love for everyone to donate their organs, but as AYBABTU said, some people's religions forbid it.

When I die, I'm having them take everything they can, from my liver to my skin, whatever they need, they can take.

When I'm dead of course.

 

As I stated in the other organ donor thread - I think organ donation should be compulsary, unless you complete a form stating that you don't want your organs used after death.

(rather than completing a form saying that you are ok with organ donation - as many people just don't bother).

Or, to make it easier, an organ donor option should be present on all drivers licences so you make the choice when you sit your test.

malkie

 

Well in my country (Holland) the gouverment has been discussing about making organ donation compulsory. I for one am against that. I think it's your own choice if you want to donate your organs or blood. and as DA said for some reasons, ie. religion's or other beliefs it's just not possible. Jehova witnesses cant recieve or give anything, because otherwise Jehova won't allow them into paradise when they pass away.

But on another note, if something like that happens and your a doctor, would your moralities come into play and you give them blood or an organ even though they aint allowed to have it, or do you respect their wishes.

I would give them blood, it's my point of view uppon that, that i help poeple if i want to even if i get into trouble for doing so

 

The religions that actually do have a mandate to prohibit organ donations are very few. The embalming process is a much worse desecration than donation ever would be.

Just some statistics:

over 80,000 people on waiting lists for organs(and growing)

nearly 2,000 die yearly

50% of families decide NOT to allow organ donation whether the deceased signed an organ donor card or not.

Donating organs can potentially save the lives of 50 people

I just recently lost a dear friend to Cystic Fibrosis. He waited for a double lung transplant for 2 years, and was on the top of the list in his region for one year. This is mostly due to the fact that the demand for organs far exceeds the supply.

Do I think that we should legislate mandatory organ donation. No. I still believe in everybody's right to do what the heck they want with their body. But I do not believe that next of kin should not be able to override the deceased's wishes.

Personally, I think its very selfish to not be an organ donor. Someone can donate my body to a gang of necrophiliacs for all I care.

 

malkieD2, Or, to make it easier, an organ donor option should be present on all drivers licences so you make the choice when you sit your test.

I thought that was the case already, at least here in Illinois.

I'm really not sure where I stand on the issue. I can see the great need for it, but I grew up believing that your body was your temple and you would be responsible for your organs even after death. That way if someone misuses the life they were given, it's partially your fault. However, I don't believe that strongly anymore.

 

I am a Registered Nurse who works in the Intensive Care Unit of a major local hospital.

I have firshand experience in this area, and I take care of patients who receive heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreatic transplants right out of surgery. The two most difficult to care for are the lung and the liver transplants. Sometimes, the liver transplant patient will require over 100 units of blood within a short period of time.

There are various ethical levels in which I believe organ donation occurs. Some of it is very ethical, and does much good for the patients. Heart transplant patients are an example of this. They do generally very well, and are sitting up in a chair two or three days post-surgery.

Some patients who get organ transplants shouldn't get them, IMHO. These people include alcoholics who destroy their own liver, and we give them a new one, and they destroy it again. It is enormously expensive to get a transplant, and many times it's billed to medicaid, which means you and I pay for it. So, this is an example where I feel it unethical to receive an organ. Most of these scenarios involve drug and alcohol abusers (many with Hepatitis C - which also destroys any new liver you get, anyway).

Patients with Cystic Fibrosis (a severe dehabilitating lung disease) who require lung transplants at a very young age (maybe by 20 years old average) are also difficult to care for, but worth it. The problem with lung transplantation is that your max life span post transplantation is about ten years.

I am an organ donor myself, and I would hope that my organs would go to someone who it would do the most good if something unfortunate were to befall me. Not some drug addict or alcoholic who would not appreciate or make good use of it, but for someone who would care about their own lives enough to appreciate the new organ.

 

I am an organ donor myself, and I would hope that my organs would go to someone who it would do the most good if something unfortunate were to befall me. Not some drug addict or alcoholic who would not appreciate or make good use of it, but for someone who would care about their own lives enough to appreciate the new organ.

Or even worse, some celebrity alcoholic who was put at the top of the list... (Didn't they give the I Dream of Jeannie guy a new liver because of that?)

 

As I stated in the other organ donor thread - I think organ donation should be compulsary, unless you complete a form stating that you don't want your organs used after death.

(rather than completing a form saying that you are ok with organ donation - as many people just don't bother).

Tell me, do you approve of spam (unsolicited commercial email)? What you are describing is the "opt-out" concept that most spammers love because it gives them license to do whatever they want. For example, you opt out of list 1 and they leave you on list 2, they can change their name and keep spamming you.. With "opt-in" you have to give your specific permission for them to contact you.

In the same way, if organ donations were "opt-out", what happens when someone just assumes that a person was an organ doner, or their license with the "opt-out" message is missing? Use the organs anyways. That would be quite wrong, don't you think? "Opt-in" will always be the better solution in a case like this. That way, if they don't have your specific permission, they cannot use your body.

Or, to make it easier, an organ donor option should be present on all drivers licences so you make the choice when you sit your test.

That's how it is here in Virginia, and in most other states I've seen. It does vary a bit from state to state.

As far as my opinion goes, I am an organ donor. After all, I won't be using them anymore, will I? Even as a Christian who believes that I will one day be resurrected with a physical body, I figure if God made me once, He can sort things out.

Kimball Kinnison

 

Or even worse, some celebrity alcoholic who was put at the top of the list... (Didn't they give the I Dream of Jeannie guy a new liver because of that?)

That sickens me. What makes a celebrity so much more important? I think there should be a law that forbids celebrities being bumped up just because they're famous. It should be on a need basis followed by the list.

 

Or, to make it easier, an organ donor option should be present on all drivers licences so you make the choice when you sit your test.

It is down here in Australia. However, I think that close family can still overrule that decision. Which is annoying, in my own opinion, as past the age of eighteen it should be your decision and not anyone elses.


I, personally, am an organ donor. It's on my drivers liscense and my boyfriend and family know that that is what I want. I feel that if I can help someone then so be it.

On the other hand, I can't legally give blood. This is thanks to a stupid law in Australia that says if you have spent a certian amount of time in England before a specific date, or if you were born there (which I was) then you can't give blood because you *might* have contracted mad cow disease. It's really, really stupid and it drives me nuts because I want to help out, but can't. It's also stupid because it automatically excluded quite a large percentage of Australians from giving blood. The Red Cross (people who we donate blood too) suddenly had a dramatic shortage of donors and blood.

(And no, I don't have mad cow disease)

Kithera

 

I am not for compulsory organ donation, but would encourage anyone to sign themselves up as a donor.

Just playing devil's advocate, by posing the question.

 

I fully support Organ donations, I am listed as a Organ Donor and have no problems with this subject.

I can think of at least two story's regarding Organ Donations that bear something towards this subject.

1) About 12 years ago, a family made a big deal in the press (probably to secure a book deal over it) about how their oldest 18 year old daughter had leukemia, and how the mother and father specifically had artificial insemination done to have another child, to save the other daughter. I had no problem with what they did aside from making such a public spectacle over what they did.

2) In Louisianna a few years back, a soon-to-die convicted felon was facing execution. He happened to be that 1in a million match for a girl who needed a kidney. He was all for donating, believing that if he could save a life for his crime, he had no problem with it. But the government would not allow him to donate because the bone marrow thing would take him past his scheduled execution date. The end result was the criminal was executed; the girl would die as well from leukemia or whatever it was.

 

bah since i don't know what its like on the other side i'm gonna keep my organs just in case. ps CLONNNNNNNIIIINNNNGGGGG is better.

 

Question

What are the religious reasons? How do those few religions that say organ donation is wrong justify it? How do they justify the dead body being intact as more important than another body that has a chance for life? In my mind it is selfish, but I want to know if that is becasue I dont understand their beliefes.

Just saying "religious reasons" seems to just be an easy way to be selfish, but please help me understand their beliefe?

 

I recall the Zoroastrian faith requiring the whole body to be cremated upon death. Someone else mentioned Jehovah's Witnesses usually don't as giving or receving anything is contradictory to their beliefs.

As for me, I'm not gonna need my organs when I'm gone. I've already told my family many times that any salvageable organs from my body are free to a good home.

 

Giving their organs to needy is the sole decision of the organ owner.

 

I recall the Zoroastrian faith requiring the whole body to be cremated upon death. Someone else mentioned Jehovah's Witnesses usually don't as giving or receving anything is contradictory to their beliefs.


You still are not answering the question. Why is it against their beliefs? Why do the Zoroastrian's creamate their dead? Why is it against the Jehovan Whitnesses belief?

 

I'm all for organ donation, if I can help someone life after I die then that's what I want.

My best friends mom did one better than organ donation. For years she had Diabetes and later in life chronic heart problems and as such she was told she wouldn't be able to donate her organs so she donated her body to science in the vain hope that anything they found out about Diabetes would help thousands of people in the future. They take the body and do whatever it is they do and then return the rest of it as ashes to the relitives. I have certainy considered that should I be unable to donate my organs.

I cannot give blood for at least 5 years because I have had a tattoo recently and if you have piercings or tattoos you are forbidden to give blood as you may have contracted Hepititis.

 

For years she had Diabetes and later in life chronic heart problems and as such she was told she wouldn't be able to donate her organs so she donated her body to science in the vain hope that anything they found out about Diabetes would help thousands of people in the future.

My friend that died of Cystic Fibrosis did the same thing. I truly believe that was a noble cause, and easy to do.

 

My friend that died of Cystic Fibrosis did the same thing. I truly believe that was a noble cause, and easy to do.

Yeah it's much easier than people think, if more people with chronic diseases did it then maybe, just maybe we would find a cure for some of these things. I have the utmost respect for these people but then Joan (my friends mom) was like that... she was always thinking of others and hoped that they WOULD find a cure then she could save millions of lives in the future

 

I just found out that I can't give blood, or donate organs, until they come up with an even more reliable test for BSE (Mad Cow Disease) because I lived in Germany for over 6 months (I was there for 3 years). That sucks.