Compulsary organ donation

[WaldoMcFroog]

According to the Chief Medical Officer, we should be considered a possible candidate for organ donation upon death, unless we've opted out.

Seems fine to me. Some people are suggesting that it shouldn't be up to the government to dictate what happens to you when you die, but if you can opt out, and if this opt out process was well publicised and easy to do, where's the problem?

[smudge]

Totally agree with jno's sentiments.

Nothing more to add.

[LoftyLottie]

I am not religious in any way but for my own personal reasons which I do not want to share, yes I would probably say no to a transplant to extend my own life. I also know that one of my nearest relatives feels like this.

[gina32]

pity that no one has been on here from the other point of view, someone who had a someones organs and tells us how their quality of life has increased, or not. i for one have been a donor for many years and certainly wouldnt change

[jno]

jake, this may be the sort of thing Clanad had in mind

http://www.wesleyjsmith.com/blog/2007/07/organ -harvesting-lawsuit-potential.html

[Pippa68]

Trouble is Gina they will want my organs but they won't take my blood (transfusion received in 1990). I can't see why my organs will be any different...both can be tested.

As for the issue of opting in or opting out..I am still not sure. I lean towards opting in, probably for the same reasons as Jno has stated.

My family know of my wishes ~ the Doc's can harvest the lot if they wish ~ but I feel a bit uncomfortable about it being compulsory.

[Bazile]

Clanad

That is exactly what would be of deep concern to me if this was made law .
If you were ill how hard would the medical staff try , to keep you alive

[~Wingnut~]

Gina, my husband is a kidney transplant patient, I have copied and pasted from a discussion we had back in May on here as I am being lazy lol :o)

My husband had his second kidney transplant 4 years ago, when our youngest daughter was only 2 months old. He was so ill for years leading up to that transplant, but he kept going but as time went on he kept getting other complications and I truly believe if he hadn't have had the kidney when he did he may not be here with us today.
I cried that day they said he was to have the transplant, not just out of relief and fear but for the family that had lost their loved one but were allowing my husband to have another chance at life. Thank you xx

[~Wingnut~]

We literally went through hell, my husband had to go to dialysis 3 times a week at St James hospital, we live over 20miles away. He would have to go on an evening because of work and not get in untill 1am and still get up for work at 6am. He would get so ill before and after. Many a time he was taken away in an ambulance because his health would take a serious dive and I had to reassure my eldest child (would have been under 5 yrs at the time) that he would be fine when I didn't even know that myself. This went on for over 4 years whilst he waited. That's a long time when you don't know if your going to be so ill for the rest of your life and you get so sick and tired of constantly being ill that you just want to give up.
All that changed because he had a kidney transplant. Why waste valuable organs by not allowing people to opt out if they have a strong enough view?


http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question41 3483.html

[Loosehead]

I don't have very strong feeling on this but I'm an opt inner for 2 reasons, all you pro opt outers try and convince me:

1. To opt out you have to carry some sort of card all the time, i know I don't always have all my cards with me, is there an alternative? What about forget the cards but have the opt inners have a small tattoo say under the foot, that way cards will be unnecessary, I'd happily do the same to opt out.

2. Touched on by Clanad, I am told that in order for organs to be useful they have to come from a live person, I may be wrong on this so convince me they don't hack you up before you are dead, or indeed hasten death for harvesting purposes.

I just don't trust the arrogance of the medical profession. Also how do I know to what lengths medics my go to to find my opt out card etc, I just think it will deteriorate into medics playing god in the backs of ambulances. Sorry guys I need convincing!

[kwicky]

I agree with organ donation and signed onto the NHS register some years ago, I have only been concerned about 1 problem and that is about waiting lists. If you consider there are 2 waiting lists, 1 for NHS, the other for private patients. If a kidney say becomes available is that offered to the first match of the private patient and the NHS gets 2nd option. Also if some people are willing to pay fro treatment why don't they donate something to the offspring of the deceased person? At present this is deemed immoral but I personally cannot see the difference.

[WaldoMcFroog]

I suppose it is quite easy for me to be pro, since I couldn't really give a phuq what happens to my body once I'm dead...

[~Wingnut~]

Hi Kwicky :o)

Whether your a private patient or NHS the kidney (or other organ) will go to the nearest match, there's only one transplant list.

[kwicky]

Hi Wingnut:
I obviously did not get my point across. If there were two matches, one private, the other NHS then although the NHS patient may have been waiting a shorter time would the private patient be given the organ.

[~Wingnut~]

Hi again Kwicky :o)
The organ would go to the better match, doesn't matter if someone has been on the list one week or 5 years or if they are private or NHS, apart from families or twins no-one would be the exact same match for the organ, then other factors would be taken into consideration too such as who is the nearest match, their physical fitness, blood pressure etc it all plays apart in who would accept the organ the best and would be least likely to reject it.

[gina32]

hi wingnut, im glad someoene else from the other point of view posted, its nice to hear something good come out of it, it must have been awful, but at least your hubby is now well, all thanks to the kind people who donated

[Clanad]

Sorry for the late reply, jake... here's a few reports out of many:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jun/06062707. html
http://www.geocities.com/organdonate/aninvente ddeath.html
http://www.geocities.com/organdonate/battlefor thebody.html
http://incontiguousbrick.wordpress.com/2007/05 /22/falun-gong-enthusiasts-volunteer-for-live- organ-donation/
http://ethictransplantation.blogspot.com/2006/ 05/nasty-side-of-organ-transplanting.html
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender .fcgi?artid=137443
http://crookedtimber.org/2004/10/21/over-enthu siastic-organ-procurement

[ruby27]

In response to Loosehead
My recent experience of having a relative donating his organs. He was dead, he died before getting to hospital but various tests undertaken by the hospital he was in, and having the tests checked out by a consultant from another hospital took a long time. All the time they were waiting to be able to tell his wife that he was technically dead, they kept him 'alive' on a machine. Once it was understood that he was technically dead, she was given the choice how long to keep the machine on with the understanding that if she was going to agree to harvesting, the machine would be kept on.
The efforts of the medical profession appeared to be to first ascertain if medical help was possible to the patient, then when this had been rigorously explored as non viable, they were concerned with the feelings of the spouse and only then what organs they could harvest.
My view, strengthened by my personal experience, is it should be compulsory with an opt out clause for those who think they have some use for their corpse.

[NJOK]

Let's say I die in an accident and leave a request in my will that my family should cook and eat me. Happy to oblige, my family roasts me with garlic and rosemary and has a nice slap-up meal with all the trimmings by way of a send of. As the law stands, they'd face criminal charges.

Not particularly relevant. Other than the quirk by which the wishes of the deceased and their family are held to be sacred when they want useful organs to decompose in the ground, but not when they could go towards feeding a family. Hmmm...

[mosesg]

I think everyone should be an atomatic donor in the event of death, after all what do you need your body for!! I also think that we should introduce the way the American's give blood, that you can give blood whenever you are visisting someone in hospital

[gina32]

pippa i am the same, cant have my blood, long story, but if they have any use for my organs they can take whatever they like, im not likely to be using them.