Are you an organ donor?
 

I was talking with a friend today about a serious accident an acquintance of his had, and the conversation got onto the topic of organ donation. He basically said something off the cuff about how anyone who isn't a donor is a selfish prick. I sheepishly told him that I'm not one. He looked shocked, and kind of back-pedaled a bit in an obvious attempt to soften what he said before.

I have my reasons for my decision, and I admit that they don't make sense to most people that I explain them to. Before anyone asks, no my reasons aren't religious. I guess the main thing is that it creeps me out that I'd be "living" inside someone else after my own death. I know that sounds weak, but it's such a strong emotion, that I can't see a chance of me ever donating.

Anyway, do you donate (or listed for donation)? What are your reasons and thoughts on the matter?

I am not one and I have always asked myself, why not? Can't come up with a good reason, just something about it I don't like.

Since I had to fill out a will last week, I have informed my wife I no longer wish to be an organ donor.

I jokingly added unless they're willing to pay a small nominal fee for my organs. If that's the case, it's at her discretion.

Seriously though, should I die in Africa for whatever reason, I want my wife to see my remains, not the remains of my remains.

Orgasm donor?

I am. I think it should be the default in this country, as it is in certain other countries. You should be an organ donor unless you explicitly say/write/what have you that you do not want to be. I think, in a lot of cases, people just never really think about it or do and then don't act on it and end up never becoming a donor even though they wouldn't mind it.

I'm sure no one would want amdaily's liver.

I am an organ donor. No matter how I try, I can't see the world through the eyes of somebody who wouldn't want to do that.

From time to time, I joke about donating just the bad ones - heart, liver, eyes...

So wait, you're pro-choice because of the whole "woman's rights of her own body", yet you want the government to control what becomes of my body. VERY hypocritical.

I'd give to family, but that's it.

I think we did a thread similiar to this before... anyway, I actually think it's more selfish and close-minded of the people who think everyone should be. There are actually good reasons not to be and I have experienced both ends.

I lost a family member because her daughter was pressured into unplugging her mother two days after she was in an auto accident because the doctors assured her it was the best thing for her to do as they wanted to perserve her organs and that was made obvious it was their only concern.


and I myself was involved in an accident - the doctors assured my family I was going to be brain dead if I even survived (and they gave me like a 10% chance of survival) and that my family's best option to 'give my heart to the boy a few rooms down'.

I'm not entirely sure how the system works - but I'd assume had I had no family and had I been a designated organ donar, I'd be dead today. Not to mention if my family had made a different choice. So spare others the self righteous bullshit please :) Everyone has their own reasons.

Wait. You're equating the rights of a living woman to the rights of a corpse? Ooookaaay. . .

Dola.

Even besides that silliness, under my "rule", I've given your corpse and the living human being equal rights. The living woman has the right to choose to have an abortion, just like you have a right to choose whether you want your corpse to have all of its organs.

Think before you type, Sparty. Perhaps you were distracted by the impending, pivotal Pistons' Game 5 or something.

no way in hell

Think.

It's quite similar in that my body is mine when I'm alive, and what I choose to have done with it should still be my choice upon death.

Also, although this isn't my case, if a person's religion, philosophy, or beliefs are protected under the constitution and they are opposed to having certain things done to their body upon death, then that wish MUST be respected.

What you are proposing is a slippery slope, that when combined with other things that invade our private lives and makes our choices for us, would lead to the destruction of more and more freedoms. Eventually, things could evolve into something out of the minds of Orwell or Rand.

Yes, but mainly because I don't have a problem with it, feel I can help others if I die, and also get 9 dollars off pretty much every fee I'd ever pay the DMV. I understand those who don't want too, however.

So if you disagree with something strongly, you label it silly or stupid? How very condescending and predictable of you.

It's one thing to disagree and then kindly explain to me why I'm wrong, or read something wrong, and it's another to get all pissy and take a shot at someone.

Anyway, I didn't mean to bring abortion into this, and I wish I hadn't.

I am not proposing a slippery slope. This is done in many European countries and their governments, in fact, invade their private lives and make far fewer choices for them than ours.

If a person has a religious, philosophical, or other belief that would make it so they did not want to be a donor, then they could go ahead and declare themselves not a donor. It'd be as simple as someone delcaring themselves a donor.

This is by no means an Orwellian proposal. Everyone has the right to "opt out" of being a donor at any time for whatever reason.

Ok, that's different then. :D

I retracted it. And, no, I just "calls 'em as I sees 'em." If something I disagree with is "silly or stupid", I'll note it. There are many things that I disagree with that are neither "silly" or "stupid". They are simply valid points of view or opinions that are different than mine. Some I respect, others. . . not so much.

I did explain why you were wrong. I think you understand the idea of becoming a little "hot under the collar", no? When I start seeing people comparing the rights of corpses to that of living people, yeah, that does set me off a bit. I apologize.

Predictable? Come on, now.

Oh. Cool! Go Pistons! :D

Yeah, but they better hurry up and go. I don't want to see last minute heriocs. My heart can't take anymore.

I am, and anyone who isn't...just ugh....

I am and it drives my dad bonkers. He really is uncomfortable with it, though I don't know why. But he's never done well with death or things like that anyway...

I am, but can understand how it might squick some people out.

/tk

I'm not, but if I was, I'm sure my parents would freak. According to the Islamic religion, you have to be buried with all your organs or else you will not be 'whole' in heaven or some such. I'm not religious, but I'm not sure why I'm not a donor.

I'm a donor as well.

I wish more people were donors, but I wouldn't go as far as calling non donors pricks.

You are just SO MUCH BETTER of a person than me. A fantastic individual. I hope when my grandkids are learning history in school, there are chapters in their books dedicated to Karlifornia. I hope there's 78 virgins waiting for you when you reach heaven.

I didn't really want to call someone a prick for not being a donor, but I haven't really heard a good reason NOT to be one.

organ donors often receive worse medical care while hospitalized

is there a way to make sure my organs ONLY go to fellow organ donors?

I don't believe this is true.

People have asked me that same question, and my answer is the same: I would rather die than have another person's organ in my body.

I have no fear of death, and if it's my time, it's my time.

Dola. That's just my preference, but it's not that I'm condemning others that want organs, including my own family. If my daughter needed an organ, I'm sure things would be confusing for me.

On the serious side: I recently decided to become an organ donor. I am not outwardly religious or spiritual, but I do believe that once you die, your body and soul (or essence or personality or however you care to designate it) are no longer tied together. And I feel that it is a person's soul, not their body, that gives them identity. If, after I die, my body can save or improve someone else's life, why not?

On a non-serious note: I always liked Howard Stern's reason for not being an organ donor. He said (paraphrasing) that, "Boy, you guys are all going to feel stupid when the invent a way to bring you back from the dead and you guys have no eyeballs." This is how I used to justify not being a donor to my wife.

Hell no I am not a donor. I know from firsthand experience that if you are an organ donor, a doctor MAY make your situation out to be much worse than it might actually be because they want to preserve your organs. In theory I think organ donation is great, but in practice, I'd rather know I am getting the correct advice and full story of my illness and chances for recovery.

One of my psychology internship supervisors was a behavioral neurologist who described some unpleasant experiences working with donor harvesters. Specifically, he claimed they frequently exerted inappropriate pressure on physicians like himself to declare potential donors dead. Needless to say, they didn't bother exerting pressure on physicians to declare non-donors dead. Most physicians are able to resist those pressures just fine, but of course a few aren't. For fear that he might be incapacitated and end up with one of those weak-willed physicians, he said he would never list himself as a donor.

Whether his claims are true or not I cannot say, but this neurologist was no moron. In fact he's one of the most brilliant people I've ever known, and it scared the bejeezus out of me to hear him say such a thing.

To be honest, if I have serviceable parts when I am gone, why not donate them to someone that could use them and perhaps live longer? The hell am I going to do with them? Granted I don't judge people who don't want to donate, that is their choice, I like to help people and especially in the sense that when this would ever come up, I wouldn't ever need the part again anyways.

Also considering that if I ever needed some kind of body part, I would want someone to donate it to me.

I didn't use to be because I didn't think it was a big deal and wasn't comfortable with it, but then my ex roasted me on it one time and made me "see the light".

And now you think I'm a prick.

Pussy-whipped!!!!!!!! ;)

LOL... what can I say, it was a hell of a roasting... ;)

I like the way this guy thinks.

I'm not. It creeps me out.

Agreed. I fall somewhere between "prick" and the second option, but, like Cam, I haven't heard a really good reason not to be one, so I went with it. If someone doesn't want be though, I respect the decision.

That happens. There is a lot of pressure due to the extremely long waiting lists.

I'm with Arctus...

Wow.

One of my very best friends from college has cystic fibrosis. I played basketball with him as a freshman, and five years out of college, I watched him gasping while climbing a few stairs.

He would have died 8 years ago without a double-lung transplant. And what he's done with the extra time he's been given is extraordinary: He's a pastor in inner-city Detroit and has made a big difference in the local community and in the lives of countless children, many of whom don't have fathers at home. He also got married a year ago, and they want to have children, even though, as he puts it, "his boys aren't swimming anymore." So, they're adopting.

He met the donor's parents a while after the surgery. He described it as "incredibly moving." They still keep in touch.

I was an organ donor before I even met this guy, but it just reinforces my belief that it can make an incredible difference in someone's life. Hell, he's done more with his time than 99% of healthy people (including myself). And if more people had his perspective on life, I think the world would have fewer problems.

I'm not very religious, but I view this as one of the ultimate expressions of "help thy neighbor."

That's pretty amazing right there. Single lung transplants are amongst the trickiest of transplants, and the outcomes are rarely "good." But double lungs are even trickier - your friend has done astonishingly well.

I'm not officially listed as one, but I've told my wife, my parents & my in-laws (all the people likely to be making decisions at such a point) that if I'm really on my way out, they (the hospital) can take whatever they can salvage.

Since all the listed above are pretty pushy people, I don't anticipate much of a problem with pushy organ harvesters.