Organ Donation - How do you feel about it.

Janson, double check with other doctors. My girlfriend lived in German for a year, last year, and she has heard conflicting answere as to if she can give blood or not.

And can anyone tell me why (not just that it is) some religions say organ donation is wrong?

 

Jehovah's witnesses and blood transfusions and organ transplants:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/witness5.htm

 

Thank you Beck. They will lossly interprate those passages in the Bible which clearly mean something else to include blood transfusions, yet they will strictly follow it...Oh well, this is not the place to debate this.

Why not have some sort of medical rebate for all people who give blood or donate their organs (and to the people who medically cant. This idea is not meant to punish those who CAN not donate blood/organs. It would however punish those who wont be generous and help out others.)? Medical bills are high enough as is, it would be a nice way to help the system. Also a good incentive to help out.

Yeah, there are practical issues to deal with, but just an idea I have.

 

I think that everyone should donate blood and their organs after they die. Unfortunately, some religions forbid it.

 

I have had Jehovah's Witnesses for patients in the ICU, and they have suffered greatly because of their inability to receive blood products based upon 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?"

Mention was made earlier of why some Jehovah's Witnesses don't donate their organs - they don't believe in giving or receiving anything, that's why some of them don't celebrate Christmas or their own birthday.

As for the basis of the Zoroasatrian belief in cremation, I don't know. Why don't you go look it up on your own??

 

"Why not have some sort of medical rebate for all people who give blood or donate their organs (and to the people who medically cant. This idea is not meant to punish those who CAN not donate blood/organs. It would however punish those who wont be generous and help out others.)? Medical bills are high enough as is, it would be a nice way to help the system. Also a good incentive to help out."

[sarcasm]Why don't you go one more step forward and force people to become organ donors despite their wishes??[/sarcasm]

I find this idea to be utterly repugnant. Why should someone be "punished" because their personal choices differ from those of others?? That would be no better than a sitting US president enacting a tax on those who aren't registered members of his/her own political party. Of course, one could argue that the said tax would work to prevent things such as the 2000 presidential election fiasco in Florida.

 

Absolutely NO monetary involvement should come into play when it comes to organ or blood donation.

It is totally unethical.

 

Yeah, you are probably right. We would become just as bad as them if we did anything that resembled rewards and punishments. I was wrong, it would be a bad idea, and should not be done.

But I do find it repulsive that to satisfy an unproven belief, they will justify inaction that will result in harm to people that are known to exist by interpreting a part of their religion saying cannibalism is bad to include transfusions and organ donations.

I know if I would ever argue with anyone 'justifying' their position with religion, I would never get a reason I would conceder acceptable out of them. I just see "my religion says it wrong" as a scapegoat. It requires no thought (but thought can be put into it). Most other morals in religions can be justified in other ways (it hurts other people being a good ?secondary? reason) but this one?. Oh well.

 

How do you feel about "harvesting" organs of death row inmates?

I read an article some time ago about Chinese officials harvesting the organs of Chinese prisoners. The article described in detail how they inject drugs before the execution better to preserve the organs with, how they are shot carefully in the head, avoiding damage to the eyes (to preserve the corneas) and then taken, seconds later, to a bus where their organs are removed for transplant. (In some cases the donor was still alive.)

Although this might be overblown propaganda, it raises and interesting question: Is harvesting prisoners legally and/or morally wrong?

It could be argued that death row prisoners should be forced to donate as part of "repaying" society. When they are convicted, they might be said to lose any right to their own bodies.

However there are many, many moral questions involved here. I was wondering what was the general response to this.

 

I would say no. Basically, violating them in such a way would make us no better then them. Now I would encourage them to think about it. Maybe get a better sentance (?) if they do decide on that (actually that makes no sense). But forcing them, no.