One night, about ten years ago, he came home from work very disturbed. He didn’t want to talk about it at first but finally opened up about it. A man had been brought in for surgery that night who had been in a car accident. My housemate said that the doctors did try to save him, but it was evident to him that they were not trying very hard. There was a patient in need of one of his organs. They declared the guy dead very fast, did not go to any heroic efforts to revive him, and rush-harvested his organs and shipped them to another hospital. After I learned about this I tore up my organ donor agreement, and decided I would not sign an organ donor card again.

I find it interesting that when I’ve posted this information online I’ve gotten everything from screeching death threats (!) and legal threats to accusations that I’m a liar. Snopes calls it a ??myth? and people blithely tell themself it isnâ??t true. But it is not a lie, it did happen, and he (my housemate) eventually changed jobs because he saw it happen more than once and it was creeping him out. He did not say it was deliberate on anyone’s part, but rather that there was a subtle pressure that he perceived at work in the operating room, to not work very hard to save someone if someone else â??neededâ? their organs. I would say, go ahead and sign up to be an organ donor, no one is stopping you. But after what I learned, not from some myth but from my friend’s experience, I would never do so again.

More than 98,000 people are currently waiting for lifesaving transplants. These people are just like you. So, what if it was you waiting for a transplant? Empathize for one moment with those out there that are waking up today, not quite sure how many days (maybe even hours) they have left to live. Ask people like Corinne, Lacey , Steve, Aimee and Lisa if they’re grateful for having new lives. Their lives were saved because of the selfless act of others who registered as donors.

Chris notes above:

“But to simply be an organ donor “just to be nice” doesn’t make sense. This program has the incentive that does. So after I read everything, I will most likely join!”

Do you really need an incentive to do something decent and good in this life?! Is it really too much for you to just register without an incentive?

Nearly 90% of people nationwide feel that registering to be an organ donor is “the right thing to do.” If you don’t want to be a donor, don’t register. Regardless, don’t allow myths and misconceptions or procrastination stand as barriers to registration. People are waiting today for you to take 30 seconds to register. Learn the facts, take action.

-Scott
Donate Life Illinois – Campaign Manager
http://www.DonateLifeIllinois.org

B) I most certainly would NOT give my liver to a drunk. The drunk spent his life destroying his/her body and does not deserve a second chance.

The only ONLY time I would willingly allow someone to have my organs would be if a person was in some sort of an accident. Not a birth defect, not self-abuse. Since the donor has no say in what happens to their organs, I will not donate.

My problem with the organ donor program is the selflessness. I don’t want people hacking away at my body unless I get some kind of benefit. It’s human nature! We are self-interested beings. By joining LifeSharers, I am totally ok knowing that my organs would go to fellow organ donors. It is in my interest, my family’s interest and the interest of the other thousands of members. It benefits everyone.

But to simply be an organ donor “just to be nice” doesn’t make sense. This program has the incentive that does. So after I read everything, I will most likely join!

I just don’t understand how anyone can say it’s a “moral obligation”. I really don’t believe anything is required of us, hence why I’m an Atheist. It’d be nice if people just gave away their organs to complete strangers, but they’re not required to. The “duty” idea is surely wrong.

Perhaps I’m mistaken but I think you have taken duty and obligation the wrong way, it doesn’t have to mean requirement as you think it does.

That’s an irrational and lame reason to be an atheist.

Everyone is right—there is a huge difference between a savings account and organs, but under the idea that “whatever you aren’t using should go to help others”, then I can’t comprehend why we have any possessions. Why not just give everything extra away to help others? (I, if you can’t tell, disagree with this notion)

That’s a bit extreme, any possessions, you mean you don’t use or want any of your possessions? Are you against giving away old equipment you aren’t using, will not use again, but are not considering selling? I think that giving away extra can be in self-interest for a variety of reasons.

I don’t believe that property rights should be applied to bodies, although in many legal documents they are, but perhaps perversly the same states that do this do not allow people to do with their property what they wish. Very few things that apply to property seem to apply to bodies in these states.

There is a simple way to put a big dent in the organ shortage — give organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die.

Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. People who aren’t willing to share the gift of life should go to the back of the waiting list as long as there is a shortage of organs.

Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at http://www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. There is no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any pre-existing medical condition.

Everyone is right—there is a huge difference between a savings account and organs, but under the idea that “whatever you aren’t using should go to help others”, then I can’t comprehend why we have any possessions. Why not just give everything extra away to help others? (I, if you can’t tell, disagree with this notion)

If we could sell our organs there would be a benefit and it would nearly eliminate the waiting lists. How would this be bad for the poor? Suddenly they’d have thousands at their disposal, to which they could pay off debt, put towards school, invest in bettering their life (new clothes, new car, etc.) and so many other things. As sad as it is when we lose a loved one, what if they suddenly could give their poor families $100,000? I think it would push towards a more achievable social mobility.

Obviously the rich would benefit, too.If they need the organs, they could find them and continue living. The wealth would be redistributed in a fair way; not just from taxing them 90%.

I have never disagreed with you Hemant, until this moment. A person’s body is their own, and if they do not want to donate it, they have that right. It is not selfish at all! Is it selfish to have a savings account? Isn’t that money just sitting there and not helping people, just like organs would be in the grave?

Not using your money is seen as immoral and selfish. Saving accounts aren’t not using money, it’s saving it for another time. Money and organs have an obvious difference. It’s not like organs can still be used weeks later, or gain interest. If choosing to not give away something you can’t use, at no loss, isn’t selfish, then I don’t know what is.