Are You An Organ Donor?

[Cuyo]

Seriously though, kidneys are pretty valuable. I'd like to get a couple of bucks before they pry them from my cold dead corpse. I have a pretty rare blood type ,AB, and I'm seriously concerned that they might hasten my demise to get at the juicy treasures in my body.

But do kidneys follow the same metric as blood donation?

If so, AB is not a very valuable blood type - in fact it's the least valuable. It's the universal receiver, and only compatible for transfusion INTO another AB - Whereas O is the universal donor, and can transfused into A, B, AB, or O.

Organs may be different though.

 

[asterism]

Since there is so much discussion about the little girl who has received a new set of lungs, I ask USMB members if they are organ donors.

If so, how long have you been a donor? 25 years
Are you donating organs, or tissue/blood/muscle etc? everything
Do you think organ donation should be compulsory? no
Do you think the system should be an opt out one, as opposed to opt in? if it's "opt out," it's not a donation. Keep it opt in.
Do you think family members should have the right to override the wishes of a loved one, if that loved one wanted to be a donor upon their death? no
Do you believe those who choose to donate should have the right to decide who receives their organs? no. donations do not come with strings
Should those who refuse to be organ donors be forbidden from receiving an organ? ie; if you don't gift, you don't receive? no. the viability and medical criteria are not affected by the status of that person at all. this is medicine, not social justice (aka "social retribution")

Excluding people suffering from medical conditions, of course. What an idiotic statement. Name one medical condition preventing organ donation.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

Since there is so much discussion about the little girl who has received a new set of lungs, I ask USMB members if they are organ donors.

If so, how long have you been a donor?
Are you donating organs, or tissue/blood/muscle etc?
Do you think organ donation should be compulsory?
Do you think the system should be an opt out one, as opposed to opt in?
Do you think family members should have the right to override the wishes of a loved one, if that loved one wanted to be a donor upon their death?
Do you believe those who choose to donate should have the right to decide who receives their organs?
Should those who refuse to be organ donors be forbidden from receiving an organ? ie; if you don't gift, you don't receive? Excluding people suffering from medical conditions, of course.

Do I think organ donation should be COMPULSORY??? What the ****?

NO!

 

[Two Thumbs]

If so, how long have you been a donor? for just under 30 years
Are you donating organs, or tissue/blood/muscle etc? everything they want they can have and toss the rest to the dogs
Do you think organ donation should be compulsory? **** no
Do you think the system should be an opt out one, as opposed to opt in? No, that's ignorant
Do you think family members should have the right to override the wishes of a loved one, if that loved one wanted to be a donor upon their death? Why would they? but no. My last wish is my last wish
Do you believe those who choose to donate should have the right to decide who receives their organs? No. No picking winners and losers b/c people will end up bidding for your carcass.
Should those who refuse to be organ donors be forbidden from receiving an organ? ie; if you don't gift, you don't receive? Excluding people suffering from medical conditions, of course. No, even douchebags have the right to life.

 

[Two Thumbs]

1. I signed up when I was 11. I asked my parents if I could be a donor, they filled out the form for me, and sent it away. I upgraded my details a few years ago, and have carried my donor card with me ever since. I plan on getting a small tattoo on my chest stating that I am an organ donor, just in case I lose my card.

2. I am donating all organs, including corneas, as well as blood, bone, muscle, valves, arteries, skin, and anything else that might be needed. Skin can be very beneficial in helping people who have suffered severe burns. There isn't likely to be much left of me afterward, but why care - I will be dead.

3. Not necessarily compulsory - that would mean that people with blood disorders and other illnesses would be forced to donate.

4. Yes, it should be opt out. Upon your 18th birthday, everyone should be presumed a donor, if you wish to take your name off the register, you should fill out the form, just as you do to become a donor. Having an opt out system would mean that more people would donate, given that most people wouldn't go to the trouble of filling out forms to remove themselves from the list. More donors means more people would live.

5. Family members should butt out, and have no say in the matter at all. Under our current laws, if a family member objects, the deceased, despite being a donor, will not be permitted to donate.

6. Yes, I do. Within reason. I don't believe that someone should have the right to decide that they don't want their organs to go to a Muslim, or a liberal, for example. But if someone didn't want their liver to go to an alcoholic, I think that is acceptable. My organs are healthy, and I take care of them. The way I see it, I should have the right to decide where my organs go, and I don't want them going to someone who has abused their body through alcohol or smokes, to use those vices as an example.
Obviously this is currently impossible, but its wishful thinking.

7. It sounds harsh, but yes, I do. Excluding those who suffer from an illness that prevents them from donating, or religious beliefs, if someone refuses to donate because of a petty reason, for example - 'I don't want to be cut up' then that person should not be eligible to receive organs. I believe that in order to receive, one must give. I also believe that anyone who receives blood should, if they are able to, make a blood donation at least once to give back what they received.

Is not donating if you're forced, it's tyranny

 

[Gracie]

I am a donor but I don't think anyone would want to harvest my organs due to the ailments I have...and my age.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

I donated a Kimble to Good Will one time. It played pretty well.

LOL Took me a minute to get that, whitehall! I was thinking a Kindle played pretty well??? And then I looked again...OH!! Kimble!!! : )

I'm pretty sure it's Kimball, whitehall. I used to have a Kimball piano.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

The subject of family interfering with the organ donation process after someone has died has come up. I think why that happens is the family is full of grief and can't stand the thought of their loved one being carved up. And I can totally identify with that, but I would honor my loved one's wishes, nonetheless.

 

[Mr Natural]

When my time is up, they can take whatever they need.

It's not as if I'll be using them anymore.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

Here are my answers:

Since there is so much discussion about the little girl who has received a new set of lungs, I ask USMB members if they are organ donors.

If so, how long have you been a donor? Not a donor.
Are you donating organs, or tissue/blood/muscle etc? None
Do you think organ donation should be compulsory? **** NO
Do you think the system should be an opt out one, as opposed to opt in? No
Do you think family members should have the right to override the wishes of a loved one, if that loved one wanted to be a donor upon their death? No
Do you believe those who choose to donate should have the right to decide who receives their organs? Perhaps...depends on the circumstances.
Should those who refuse to be organ donors be forbidden from receiving an organ? ie; if you don't gift, you don't receive? Excluding people suffering from medical conditions, of course. No. That is like shaming or scaring people into being donors. And it's bullshit. Like someone said, this is a medical issue, not a social issue.

Here's the thing about choosing who receives your organs. Imagine that you are terminally ill and a loved one of yours needs something...why shouldn't you be able to say, "Aunt Betty gets my heart when I go." ??? Or, you're going into a dangerous situation, so you say, "If I get killed, Aunt Betty gets my heart!" Or, in the case of this girl who needed a lung transplant, what if a young relative of hers, who was a donor, died suddenly and the lungs were perfect for her. Why shouldn't she be the one to get them? Maybe there could be a box to check, "My relatives get first dibs on my organs, as well as _________(list others who should get preference)." : )

 

[Wolfsister77]

Since there is so much discussion about the little girl who has received a new set of lungs, I ask USMB members if they are organ donors.

If so, how long have you been a donor?

Since I was 18

Are you donating organs, or tissue/blood/muscle etc? All

Do you think organ donation should be compulsory? No, absolutely not-forced organ donation-NO

Do you think the system should be an opt out one, as opposed to opt in? No, it's easy to opt out

Do you think family members should have the right to override the wishes of a loved one, if that loved one wanted to be a donor upon their death? No

Do you believe those who choose to donate should have the right to decide who receives their organs? No

Should those who refuse to be organ donors be forbidden from receiving an organ? ie; if you don't gift, you don't receive? Excluding people suffering from medical conditions, of course.

Not forbidden no but those that donate should go first.

 

[Montrovant]

Since there is so much discussion about the little girl who has received a new set of lungs, I ask USMB members if they are organ donors.

If so, how long have you been a donor?
Are you donating organs, or tissue/blood/muscle etc?
Do you think organ donation should be compulsory?
Do you think the system should be an opt out one, as opposed to opt in?
Do you think family members should have the right to override the wishes of a loved one, if that loved one wanted to be a donor upon their death?
Do you believe those who choose to donate should have the right to decide who receives their organs?
Should those who refuse to be organ donors be forbidden from receiving an organ? ie; if you don't gift, you don't receive? Excluding people suffering from medical conditions, of course.

I've been an organ donor for at least 15 years.
I have no idea what I would be donating. It's just a mark on my ID.
I do not think it should be compulsory, but I do think it is a sensible thing to do.
Opt in is preferable.
No, loved ones should not be able to override the lawful wishes of an individual.
I think that a person should be able to choose who they donate to if they can provide the means of getting that person the organ(s).
I'm not sure how you can exclude people suffering from medical conditions. Isn't that pretty much the only circumstance in which a person receives the organ(s) of another? To answer the question, though, I am unsure. My initial reaction is that people who aren't organ donors should still be able to receive organ donations, but I might change my mind with more reflection.

Personally, I don't even know if I have many organs worthy of donations. I mostly say yes to the question when I get an ID because, if I'm bad off after an accident, I'd rather they just take some organs and let me die than end up with terrible pain or handicap.

 

[hortysir]

Organ donor

Blood donor (3 gallons)
Platelets

Also registered with Marrow match

 

[Pop23]

I feel that those who are not willing to donate organs should be put behind people on the list of throes that were willing to donate organs. It would be wrong to exclude them.

I think that's very reasonable.

And do bear in mind I think organ donating is basically a SCAM against the donors.

That would cause duress. Not sure it would hold up in court.

I agree with editec in a way, and it is a reason I have not yet put my x in the donation box.

Seems like everyone is justified in profiting from the death of another. Doctors, Hospitals, Pharma, all claiming they should because they have the life saving products required. Seems to me I also provide a life saving product. I would much rather my wife and children get a piece of that pie instead of everyone else.

 

[Borillar]

I am not an organ donor. Organ donation should not be compulsory and not be opt out instead of opt in. What would happen is that the card, stating that you aren't a donor just wouldn't be found until later. Better no organ harvesting than "Oops, we didn't find the card, it's too late now". However, IF there were such a thing as an opt out provision instead of an opt in provision, the appropriate solution would be to retrieve the illegally harvested organs for proper disposition. Those who refuse to be an organ donor, are probably like myself and wouldn't want to live because they were cobbled together out of the body parts of a corpse. No family member or interested party should have the right or the power to override the wishes of the deceased.

Why the squeamishness? If you're dead, you have no use for any organs, nor will you miss any of them. If you're in need of a transplant to stay alive, you'd most likely welcome any chance to keep on living. I would be happy knowing that my lungs enables someone else to breathe, or my heart allow someone else to live.

I do agree though that organ donation should not be compulsory, and should be something to opt in.

 

[Wonky Pundit]

I'm an organ donor, but I'll be damned if I'll ever donate my piano.

 

[freedombecki]

I decided against being an organ donor after I contracted fibromyalgia. I wouldn't want my worst enemy in the world to have this gunk. Some say it's an autoimmune disease, but a biochemical engineer in Australia said he had discovered a particle in fibromyalgia victims in Australia that was half way between the size of a bacteria and a virus, which is why no one else thought it was of consequence. He experimented and found that it could be eliminated by a series of different antibiotics administered in a sequence and said he had successfully treated 5,000 people with the disease at the time of my first reading of him. Americans did not take the bait, we're still fighting it tooth and nail using megadoses of nutritional supplements, vitamins, minerals, and vegetable sources to keep it at bay.

Even so, I don't want someone contaminated with fibromyalgia from receiving my organs, where if causal agents reside in there, could contaminate the receiver who already had health needs when an organ would be transferred, using immune depressants, which would cause a microorganism to prosper.

It just wouldn't be right.

 

[freedombecki]

I'm an organ donor, but I'll be damned if I'll ever donate my piano.

You must have a well-tuned piano, Mr. Pundit.

 

[Katzndogz]

I am not an organ donor. Organ donation should not be compulsory and not be opt out instead of opt in. What would happen is that the card, stating that you aren't a donor just wouldn't be found until later. Better no organ harvesting than "Oops, we didn't find the card, it's too late now". However, IF there were such a thing as an opt out provision instead of an opt in provision, the appropriate solution would be to retrieve the illegally harvestedg organs for proper disposition. Those who refuse to be an organ donor, are probably like myself and wouldn't want to live because they were cobbled together out of the body parts of a corpse. No family member or interested party should have the right or the power to override the wishes of the deceased.

Why the squeamishness? If you're dead, you have no use for any organs, nor will you miss any of them. If you're in need of a transplant to stay alive, you'd most likely welcome any chance to keep on living. I would be happy knowing that my lungs enables someone else to breathe, or my heart allow someone else to live.

I do agree though that organ donation should not be compulsory, and should be something to opt in.

It is entirely too Frankensteinish for me. The creep factor of a person reanimated by the body parts of corpses is more ghoulish than I can tolerate. Not to mention the dancing on the grave factor. Did you notice all that joy and happiness when some poor innocent person died and this girl got the corpse lungs? We don't even have the capacty to mourn nor respect the mourning of others.

 

[Wonky Pundit]

I'm an organ donor, but I'll be damned if I'll ever donate my piano.

You must have a well-tuned piano, Mr. Pundit.

Actually, all my lady friends say that I have an impressive pianist.

That's one guy I won't be cutting from the payroll!