Organ Donation - Yes or No?

[FlyingJesus]

Making distinctions between donors and non-donors with regards to transplant list position wouldn't work since becoming a donor only takes a minute online and could be done on the way to the hospital then undone once the operation's gone ahead and wow people sure do love getting angry over eyeballs

[The Don]

Making distinctions between donors and non-donors with regards to transplant list position wouldn't work since becoming a donor only takes a minute online and could be done on the way to the hospital then undone once the operation's gone ahead and wow people sure do love getting angry over eyeballs

Very true, should just make it opt out and everybody's a winner.

[Empired]

it's ok everyone i'm a big girl, to be honest i wasn't even aware i was supposed to be upset by scott's comments until other people started discussing how i must be feeling. hell, I didn't even read what he said before it was edited so i didn't even have anything to react to.

his comments probably weren't the best way to handle the situation but hey this is the internet and we're discussing a touchy subject; topics like this are bound to touch a nerve for some people and they'll lash out in response.

and just to clarify: i was simply stating my belief about organ donation. my opinion is completely irrelevant anyway as currently everyone who needs an organ- regardless of whether or not they're a donator- is put on the waiting list and has to wait the same amount of time as anyone else. i don't want my beliefs to make anyone else feel bad about themselves but that won't stop me posting my opinion in the Debates section. for god's sake, debates wouldn't exist if you could only make comments that everyone agrees with. controversy is good in debates.

[Alysha]

I think they're actually making it so you have to opt out rather than in, are they not?

[FlyingJesus]

They are at some point, it was announced last year or possibly even before but doesn't seem to have gone ahead yet

[Kyle]

What I think needs to be made clear here is that any perceived intolerance to the beliefs presented in posts in debate threads isn't necessarily representative of what the poster actually thinks; some people just like to keep debates alive with fresh ideas and critical thinking! The unwillingness to shift from personal standpoints is certainly apparent in many debates and discussions but I don't personally see it here. Points have been put across, expanded on (by some), and defended with sound argument - as is (but in reality usually isn't, sadly) customary in this section and in proper debates in general. A line of thought I feel like anybody entering a debate should adopt is one that the old maxim from writings about Voltaire: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Less hostility and sensitivity, more rational argument. plz.

In response to the first point about donors having priority over non-donors, it's already been clearly outlined that it's simply not fair. Naturally it's going to piss some people off that the organs of their relatives may go to people who in their view don't deserve them but the fact is that it's just that - their view. Akeam has already apologised for not being omniscient and I'm relatively certain (though their hxf usernames or general attitudes might imply otherwise ) nobody else is either, so why should any of us be allowed to govern who should or shouldn't have donated organs? They belong to us and should belong to us until we choose to give them up.

Though the opt-out system may well be effective in reducing fatality it still seems to me to be quite contentious. State ownership of the NHS is one thing, but ownership of our bodies? Isn't that a tad too far? There are all sorts of issues that could crop up where the individual might not have even been aware that they needed to opt out or how to do it or their family might disagree with their decision. At least if it's opt in we know exactly what we're getting, who's willing to give and who wants their organs for themselves.

fyi the opt out system is to be set in motion in wales this year.

[karter]

Your body is the only thing that is ever truly, completely, undeniable and irrevocably yours. You're the only person that gets ownership over your body (that's why it's such a big deal when people assault your person, sexually or physically, because it's against your wish).

Your organs included. They're yours, and you don't owe them to anyone else, as Kyle pointed out above. If memory serves me right, some people refuse donation due to religious concerns, believing that they have to be 'whole' to enter into a divine afterlife or whatnot.

Such an arbitrary criteria to reason this imo..

Ownership is hardly significant if you're dead though.

[Bobozia]

I think organ donation is something one should be signed up for, that is assuming there is no reason why not; such as religious concerns / poor health. Other than this however, once you are dead, at the end of the day - unless you have suitable reasons - you no longer need them. I see no reason why you should not help others who are in need.
Coming from a medical background, there is nothing more demoralising for a doctor/medical personnel when someone's life could be saved with another person's organ but none are available, or match. If more people were signed up to donate organ's, those who can not be saved themselves, can still indirectly help save someone else's life.
As has been aforementioned, an opt-out system should be in place, world-wide. It already is in Wales and should be spread further.

[God]

I think organ donation is something one should be signed up for, that is assuming there is no reason why not; such as religious concerns / poor health. Other than this however, once you are dead, at the end of the day - unless you have suitable reasons - you no longer need them. I see no reason why you should not help others who are in need.
Coming from a medical background, there is nothing more demoralising for a doctor/medical personnel when someone's life could be saved with another person's organ but none are available, or match. If more people were signed up to donate organ's, those who can not be saved themselves, can still indirectly help save someone else's life.
As has been aforementioned, an opt-out system should be in place, world-wide. It already is in Wales and should be spread further.

I highly agree with this, I will be putting myself on the donor list next time I renew my health card. I know the Health Minister here in Nova Scotia, Canada had plans on bringing in an Opt-out system, and I hope it comes to fruition.

[Chippiewill]

Yes, but I'm far too lazy to put myself on a register.