Organ Donation: Or IB fails to understand other people again

[innerbrat]

Another one of those subjects about which I am simply astonished there's any debate at all, is organ donation.

According to the BBC, Gordon Brown has spoken out recently that Britain should adopt an opt-out organ donation policy, instead of the current opt-in. Under the current system, donating your organs after death is an active decision - you

Comments

[apiphile]

The point is they *can* opt-out, but by opting out they reveal themselves to be a selfish prick. :D I think that's what they're objecting to. Of course, *not* signing up to be a organ donor reveals you to be a lazy prick but not necessarily a selfish one ... I dunno. I don't get it either.

*already signed up a long time ago*

[innerbrat]

Not only have I signed up, but all (2) people to whom I am next-of-kin, (1) person to whom I am near-of-kin (I think husband trumps sister) and (1) person to whom I aspire to be next of kin in the future, have been bluntly told that when they die, if I can help it, they're getting chopped up and handed out like cake.

Albeit cake that saves lives.

[apiphile]

This is entirely sensible. I *am* thinking of - if I can find out how to do it - willing my body for junior doctors to practice autopsy on, as there is apparently an incredible shortage and it's leading to the dreaded Falling Standards. What do you think?

[innerbrat]

I heartily approve.

Of course, your body will be assigned a name, and probably mocked. maybe even snuck out and brought to the Union, because they're med students. But you'll be dead so you won't mind.

It's something I'm considering as well, but donation for immediate medical use is somewhat preferable for me.

[ginasketch]

Another useless policy.

[innerbrat]

I'm sorry, what is? Why?

[ginasketch]

I meant the opt out thing, sorry. It changes nothing. No one is forced to donate their organs.

[innerbrat]

Actually it means that John Smiths, people who don't bother to register one way or another, and people whose wishes can't be determined, are harvested for organs. It increasing the available organs for donation quite considerably.

[lienne]

I think the issue is that, to people who do believe the body retains significance after death, the idea of having someone's parts reused when they don't want them to be is as abhorrent as... oh, the idea of pimping out coma patients a la Kill Bill, say. I don't have any such reaction myself, but I can imagine the visceral unpleasantness it would cause if I did.

[innerbrat]

If you really honestly do think that saving a person's life is morally equivalent to being raped while in a coma, that's why you have the option to opt-out. 'Cause I imagine if you have that kind of reaction, you'd care enough to get yourself on the opt-out register.

[lienne]

I'm not imagining it so much as morally equivalent as I am as "oh god auuuuugh eww eww eww getitaway" equivalent, but again, I don't actually think that way so I really wouldn't know. *shrug* I'd personally quite like it if everybody had opt-out registers rather than opt-in, because then I wouldn't have to go to the trouble of getting a donor card. (And, I'll admit, if I think about it too closely it does start to gross me out. Not enough to outweigh the saving-lives bit, but it's an unpleasant thought.)

...good God, that was way too many uses of the word "as".

[innerbrat]

I really don't think legislation should be passed because people are squicked.

[minnesattva]

Hm; I ticked the box in America where (I think?) it goes on your driver's license (not having a driver's license, I wouldn't know, but I have the non-driving equivalent ID, which I needed for writing checks and then after a while for getting beer (indeed I still bloody need it there to get beer and I'm TWENTY-SIX))... but I suppose now that I'm here there's another box I have to tick somewhere, isn't there? Thanks for reminding me.

[innerbrat]

Is Andrew aware of your wishes and willing to have them carried out? That's the important thing.

[minnesattva]

True. :) My parents were horrified of me ticking that box, but I think Andrew thinks it's sensible. I'm sure he'd want me to chop him up into life-giving cake, even though he thinks there's something wrong with most of his body parts (dyspraxia, migraines, psoriasis, etc), too.

[requiem2adream]

Prompted by your post, I just asked my mother what she thinks about organ donation and whether she wanted to donate anything when she died. She thought about it for a while and said 'liver and kidneys yes, corneas no (she has reeeeeealy bad eyesight so it probably wouldn't help) and heart/lungs no.' So I asked her (without telling her my thoughts on the subject) 'okay, what if I died and hadn't left any indication of what I wanted?' and again she said 'liver, kidneys yes, but not your your heart.' So I asked her why not my heart and she replied 'your heart belongs to me

[notorious_oit]

Actually, the corneas don't determine your eyesight as much as the shape of the eyeball. I almost took a job with a local eye bank, where they harvest donor corneas and eyes, and they told me during the interview that very few people are unable to donate their corneas. Even people with cataracts are able to donate!