Should organ donation be mandatory?

[ILOVEJESUS]

There has been a littl bit of fuss made in the UK about hospitals using organs without consent. To be honest as it is in the interest of helping people live a lot of the time, should it not be compulsory to donate any useful organs after death?? I think so.

[Smellyoldgit]

I'll be sorry for the poor bastard who gets my liver.

[ILOVEJESUS]

It may increase someones existance for a few hours I take it lol.

[psychodiva]

I think it should be an opt-out system but then I work in healthcare

[Smellyoldgit]

I agree. The bigger the 'parts bank', the better the chances of improved tissue matches and less reliance on anti rejection drugs. I can think of no reasonable grounds for anyone objecting to an opt-out system.

[inkadu]

How about not donating organs to people who are selfish about their parts? Seems fair. I won't give you mine if you won't give me yours.

[Irreligious]

inkadu wrote

How about not donating organs to people who are selfish about their parts? Seems fair. I won't give you mine if you won't give me yours.

That seems awfully vindictive. I think I'd prefer a system where people are allowed to opt out of organ donation altogether, either as a giver or a receiver. That way, it's their choice.

[psychodiva]

and competent children should be given the choice- not rely on the parents - with their beliefs whatever they may be- to male the choice for them

[ILOVEJESUS]

psychodiva wrote

and competent children should be given the choice- not rely on the parents - with their beliefs whatever they may be- to male the choice for them

Too young unfortunately. Over 16 maybe. If theyre indoctrinated they will make similar decisions to their parents anyway.

[ILOVEJESUS]

I think that when you are dead your organs are no longer "yours" as you have no power to make a decision over what you would like to be done with them. I think it shouldbe mandatory. It is no use giving someone a choice when they are living in my opinion as you then have silly belief systems becoming major factors in decisions that could save someones life.

[Irreligious]

Of course the dead don't make decisions about their organs or anything. Anymore.

However, the dead still have families, and it's usually the family members to whom the bodies of the dead are entrusted to make decisions about the deceased person's remains, including the dead person's internal organs.

Without a will or some legal proxy put in place by decedent before he or she died specifically requesting that their organs be harvested upon death, the dead person's relatives have the right to bury or cremate his or her organs with the rest of their remains.

[ILOVEJESUS]

Irreligious wrote

Of course the dead don't make decisions about their organs or anything. Anymore.

However, the dead still have families, and it's usually the family members to whom the bodies of the dead are entrusted to make decisions about the deceased person's remains, including the dead person's internal organs.

Without a will or some legal proxy put in place by decedent before he or she died specifically requesting that their organs be harvested upon death, the dead person's relatives have the right to bury or cremate his or her organs with the rest of their remains.

I know that is the case, but what I am saying is I feel that to be a little bit counter productive. If your children were ill and could be saved if only a particular dead childs organs could be harvested , but are denied those organs based on a set of parents wishes that their son/daughter be buried complete should they not get into heaven etc, I am sure you also would think it a bit silly that maybe 2 children have to die , especially if one could be saved.

[Irreligious]

I might think it's a bit silly, but I also think those parents have the right to bury or cremate their dead children's organs with their dead children.

[ILOVEJESUS]

Irreligious wrote

I might think it's a bit silly, but I also think those parents have the right to bury or cremate their dead children's organs with their dead children.

Why?

[Sternwallow]

None of our desires for the time after our death are binding. That deathbed promise you extract from your nephew to keep that precious heirloom in the family has no more hold after you die than if he promised to have your corpse wrapped in gold foil for burial.

When I die ownership or more accurately proprietorship or stewardship of my carcass will pass to my designee (executor or executrix) and they know my detailed wishes along with my recognition that those wishes will not matter to me at all once I am dead.

I have made what arrangements I can to have my husk transported to a teaching medical facility for whatever purpose they might put it to.

So, I do not think it would matter one way or the other for me and my family if organ harvesting was standard practice. I am not even sure that an opt-out clause is needed.

You wouldn't give a cow an opt-out privilege to prevent her becoming thirty or forty thousand hamburgers (given how little real meat goes into so many generic GreaseBurgers).