UK Organ Donation

[Alice-Bee]

As you may have seen on the news Organ donation in Wales is now opt out. Meaning if you dont want to donate organs after your death, you must say so otherwise its assumed you are a donor.

For those who arent already card carrying donors in the UK (and however it works elsewhere) what do you think about the change?
Do you think its wrong, or a change for the best. Are you an organ donor or would you have considered being one without this change.
If not, are you opting out?

 

[Alice-Bee]

Personally I havent signed up to be one, but I had thought about it. But was unsure. I dont consider myself to be a Religious person, but I feel like I should keep myself in tact so to speak when I die. But on the other hand Id like to help someone in my death if I can, as I do like to help people in life so potentionally saving a life is the ultimate kind act.

 

[Pirate]

I agree it should be opt-out. I know of several many people who say they would want to be a donor but can't be bothered to fill in the forms. I'm sure there are other negative factors, but with so many people dieing on organ waiting lists I think it'd be worth it. I've been a registered donor for years. If anything, it'd be a small comfort to family knowing your death had gone to help other people.

 

[AeryFairy]

Opt-out is a good policy, I think - lots of people just never bother to fill out the forms but would happily donate their organs. I'm a donor (although I'm not sure how useable some of my organs are!)

 

[Spang]

I'm an organ donor in the United States. In the U.S. you can check a box when you get or renew your driver's license if you want to be an organ donor. I like this opt-out policy, though.

 

[Wolfie]

I will be sure to opt out if they ever institute that here. It creeps me out.

 

[Blobbenstein]

I used to be on the list but then I changed my mind...

I have seen stuff about how some of the donors personality transfers to the recipient, and I do believe in some sort of cellular consciousness, so I'm fairly sure that it can happen. So I started worrying about the whole thing and contacted the organ people and came off the donor list. I woudln't be surprised if I woke up in someone else's body though, after one of my walks goes horribly wrong.

 

[Blobbenstein]

Thinking about it, I might be willing to receive a kidney or wotnot, so I might be willing to donate a more peripheral organ like that.....I think you can specify which organs you are prepared to donate.

Anyway, I was talking to someone about this last year, and we thought it might be a good way to convert people to vegetarianism, if you wake up in someone else's body maybe they would be more prepared to listen to you.

 

[shyvas]

I used to be on the list but then I changed my mind...

I have seen stuff about how some of the donors personality transfers to the recipient, and I do believe in some sort of cellular consciousness, so I'm fairly sure that it can happen. So I started worrying about the whole thing and contacted the organ people and came off the donor list. I woudln't be surprised if I woke up in someone else's body though, after one of my walks goes horribly wrong.

Same here and I must get my name striked off the list.
I have also been told stories where potential donors are not given the same care when ill. One friend told me a story of a man who had donated his organs and his wife couldn't get the body back for burial. His body was taken back and forward and couldn't be traced...... scary.

 

[Clueless Git]

Entirely sympathetic to those who feel weird about being dismantled for spares'n'repairs upon their demise.

I gave up waiting for an opt out system and opted in myself but it was a very hard thing to do.

Glad I did it though.

The thought that my own death may now save someone else's life feels much better than the alternative ever felt bad.

 

[Moll Flanders]

Opt-out is a good policy, I think - lots of people just never bother to fill out the forms but would happily donate their organs. I'm a donor (although I'm not sure how useable some of my organs are!)

I agree. I'm a donor but I'm not sure anyone could use my liver.

 

[KLS52]

In kind of scared to actually put myself on the donor list for some of the reasons stated here. I'm pretty sure that if you discuss options with your family members that they could carry out your specific wishes after you die. So I may just leave that to them.

I think I would be ok with giving a kidney or my liver. I feel weird about my eyes and heart, though.

Sad, true story...my uncle had open heart surgery years ago. He died during the surgery and the hospital called his home and asked his 12 year old daughter if she would donate his eyes. That's how she found out he didn't make it, poor kid. Stupid hospital.

 

[Forster]

I'm totally against the opt-out policy. I do not like the presumption that I can be parted out unless I say no. Want more organ donors, educate people and make it easy to opt-in.

 

[thefadedone]

In kind of scared to actually put myself on the donor list for some of the reasons stated here. I'm pretty sure that if you discuss options with your family members that they could carry out your specific wishes after you die. So I may just leave that to them.

I think I would be ok with giving a kidney or my liver. I feel weird about my eyes and heart, though.

Sad, true story...my uncle had open heart surgery years ago. He died during the surgery and the hospital called his home and asked his 12 year old daughter if she would donate his eyes. That's how she found out he didn't make it, poor kid. Stupid hospital.

Same here. I've heard too many horror stories.

That's a terrible story about your uncle.

 

[shyvas]

I'm totally against the opt-out policy. I do not like the presumption that I can be parted out unless I say no. Want more organ donors, educate people and make it easy to opt-in.

Most people are not aware of this fact.

 

[kibbleforlola]

I don't know. I'm on the fence about this.

I don't know how easy it is over there to get on the list, but over here - it really is as easy as spang says - check a box, and then you have a little symbol on your license. There really is no excuse not to be a donor. You'll be dead, what else are you going to do with your body?

On the other hand, it is your body, even after your dead. And if you want to hoard your body parts, even after death, that should be your right.

Me - I'm a donor. I'll be dead, I won't have the capacity to care what happens to me anymore. Hack me up and use my parts. Use me for science. Hell, put me in some super creepy modern art exibit, I don't care. At least with organ donation, I could be saving a life. There really is no excuse.

As for loosing the body, I feel like burials and funerals are for the living, so family members can seek closure. I don't care that there's a possibility the bulk of me might end up as medical waste; but my family might. So once again, I'm on the fence. When I think about me rotting in a hospital, I don't care - when I think of the possibility of bf rotting in a hospital, I care a great deal. Funny how that works.

 

[kazyeeqen]

I take the Clingon view of death; once life has left the body, it's an empty husk, and should be treated as such.

I like the opt-out idea, though here it's so easy to opt in it's almost irrelevant. I guess over there it's not so much of a given that one has a driver's licence?

I'm sure some horror stories happen, but they'll happen with any system. Funeral home horror stories probably happen, or accidental cremation, or just regular ol' hospital horror stories, it's not any different. I don't believe that people don't receive the same care, I think that's a myth.

 

[Calliegirl]

I've been listed as a donor for many years, but just recently changed my mind. Not sure about anywhere else, but here in California you can control your donor status online. I've changed mine from an organ donor to available for research only, for a few reasons. Partly for the reasons mentioned above and one that no one else has mentioned yet.
I've spent most of my life doing what I can to prevent animal cruelty, which is why I'm vegan. I've read stories of people, who after receiving organs felt good enough to resume past activities such as hunting and fishing. More than likely they will go to multiple omnis, and I hate to think that after I die, I'm enabling not just one, but probably many people to resume hurting animals. I have family members who eat meat, and the thought they wouldn't receive an organ because of that is horrible, but then I think of the factory farming cruelty and the thought that I would be contributing to that after I died sickens me. If I could put a condition on giving an organ, such as having to watch Earthlings or Meet Your Meat, I might be willing to do that.

I didn't want them to go to waste though, so I made them available for research. Plus, I don't think they'll let you die for research organs, the same way they might for organs donated to another person. I once saw someone admit to the same thing on a blog, and she got an unbelievable amount of hate mail, but it's your choice to do what you want with your organs.
Go ahead and tell me I'm awful.

 

[ledboots]

No one is awful for not donating their organs or their family members' organs. It is a very personal decision with lots of facets.

That phone call to ask about organ donation was out of line and would be illegal today in the US (hippa). At the hospital, the organ donation team takes over and handles the family and the logistics of it all.

 

[Amy SF]

Not that it matters to anyone here, or me, in fact, as I'm not religious, but from the Jewish point of view, donating organs to save a life is considered a mitzvah, a good deed. In the Jewish scriptures, it says that Jews may violate all the biblical commandments in order to save a life, except one, and that's Thou Shalt Not Kill. So organ donation is approved of by all Jewish denominations.

I have no idea what other religions have to say about it, but I'm guessing the mainstream Christian denominations have no problem with it.