Opt Out
Instead of opting in
for organ donation (like me on my driver’s license) why not consider an Opt Out
system. This plan would presume consent of the deceased to have their organs
harvested unless they had opted out and in some European countries, Spain,
Austria, and Belgium specifically, this plan has yielded high donor rates. No
one would be taking your organs without your consent. But if you haven’t opted out, your organs,
the ones that aren't going to do you much good when you’re dead, would be in
and available for some of the people waiting on lists for transplants, many of
whom die before a much needed donor match can be found.
The caveat in organ
donation is simply that in order for some of your organs to be harvested you
cannot be totally dead but instead must only meet the legal definition of dead
as in brain dead, the determination of which is made by a physician. I am not
including people who donate one kidney or some of their healthy bone marrow
here.
Maybe you figure I have
been watching too much daytime TV where organ recipients meet and thank the
families of the organ donors who through the donation of their loved one’s
organs have found a way to allow a part of their loved one to live on and
forestall the tragic death of another. Cue music, I have seen some of those
programs but more importantly I have known people on life support on both sides
of the issue and I think a national opt out program for organ donation is a
good idea and it’s something we should consider.
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