News Organ Donation - For or Against?

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I've signed my drivers license indicating that I wish to be an organ donor and informed my family of that desire. If for some reason I am unable to do so, I would like to donate my body for scientific research. I've been so grateful to the individuals and families who gave me the privilege to use their bodies to learn and would like to give this gift to future students of medicine.

 

Crazycat, I want to thank you for prompting me to really consider *WHY* I'm not an organ donor or receiver (if my heart (etc.) should fail). I must admit that your attitude surprised me at first, but now I know that it is *because* of your sharpness that I determined to settle this uneasiness I have about the subject.

If donating organs was ONLY about saving a life, then I wouldn't hestitate but that's not all there is to it! Abiyah has mentioned several IMPORTANT factors to consider.

When someone is on a "waiting" list for vital organs, what are they *waiting* for? They are waiting for someone else to DIE! I believe in our desire to *possibly* prolong the life of our loved ones, we have created a modern day form of cannibalism . Remember years ago there was an airplane that crashed in the snowy mountains...some of the people died and in order to survive...the living ATE the dead? (CANNIBALISM!) What is the difference between eating flesh and taking their organs? A person is dead and the living feast(for lack of a better word) on the dead in order to live.

Cannibalize: to strip (old or worn equipment) of parts for use in other units to help keep them in service.

This is EXACTLY what we are doing! Hi-tech cannibalism! I refuse to be a part of it! We are dehumanizing humans. We are considering ourselves to be no better than that old junked truck that my husband uses to 'harvest' parts from to keep his truck running!

I am not a cold-hearted person. My heart breaks for people who are sick and dying. If me, or anyone I love dearly, should ever find ourselves in this situation, I would pray to God to heal the diseased organ, if it's His will, and if it's not His will for us to live, then to give us dying grace. If I pray for God to send someone another heart (etc.) then in order for my prayer to be answered...SOMEONE HAS TO DIE!

 

Yes, I am listed as an organ donor. I am not the recipient of an organ, but I do have an artificial knee that has kept me walking and allowed me to raise my children in a much more active way than a wheelchair would have. So I am very grateful to the world of medical technology.

I also have a living will. I have stated that I want to have the plug pulled, as it were, after three weeks of trying to get me going again. I had said two weeks originally, but my dear husband said, "Make that three, honey, for me, OK?" So I did. The provision is that I still be fed and hydrated and pain medication be used as seen to be necessary.

But an organ donor? Absolutely. I cannot imagine condemning someone to death when my discarded pieces might make the difference and even end up giving a testimony to God's grace in the meantime. Maybe someone doubted anyone cares. Well, I care. And I will do what I can. And if a stranger like me cares, maybe, just maybe, the recipient would think that perhaps God might care, too.

I want both my life and my death to be a testimony to God. For me, it's part of loving one's neighbor as oneself.

 

I carry an organ donor card around with me - I really think that it is something that everyone should do.

 

Are you saying that you think everyone that is an organ donor should carry an organ donor card with them OR that everybody should be required(?) to be an organ donor? If the latter is true, then why?

 

the former rather than the latter - although I am a bit divided about the issue of organ donation being opt-in rather than opt-out.

If it were an opt-out system then I think there would be a lot more organs to go round - at the moment I think that many people are either not aware the issue and so don't carry the card with them....

But I am totally against enforced organ transplants - I don't think that my body should ever be the property of the state.

 

There are those who cannot be donors as well.
Although I would think that they can use my
corneas, minimally, I am not sure they can
harvest anything more for use because, since
I signed my donor card, I learned I have a liver
disease and may be in need of a transplant
someday myself. However, this disease may
also prevent me from donating, as it can effect
other vital tissues. This is why I wish to donate
to science. My disease is hereditary, very rare,
and as a result, little is known about it. My dona-
tion could actually saved one of my descendants'
life some day.

My husband thinks there is a possibility that he
cannot donate because he had TB as a child.
Does anyone know about that?

 

When I am dead and gone, come and take what you want. I can't use it anymore anyway.

 

Originally posted by Helen:
I cannot imagine condemning someone to death when my discarded pieces might make the difference and even end up giving a testimony to God's grace in the meantime.

Helen, you would not be condemning anyone to death. Don't you believe that God can and still does heal people today? What a GREAT testimony of God's grace, goodness and mercy that would be! AMEN?! Then the healed person could ONLY give praise and thanks to GOD!


I want both my life and my death to be a testimony to God. For me, it's part of loving one's neighbor as oneself.

As well, I do too! But leaving our organs to someone does not necessarily give a testimony of God. I'm sure there are unsaved people that are organ donors.

From what I gather, some people donate their organs when they die because they no longer need them anyway, and they want to feel good about themselves in the fact that they *might* be prolonging the life of someone else.

Remember the Samaritan did not help the half-dead man by giving him old rancid oil and wine that he could not use himself. The Samaritan did put the man on his own beast...not another beast that he didn't/couldn't use himself. In other words, giving our organs that are of no use to us anyway is not the same thing as loving our neighbor as the Samaritan did. The Samaritan gave things that he could still use himself.

Now, a true sacrifice would be in the giving of blood, platelets, bone marrow, kidney, etc. Because those are things that the donor (himself) still needs to live.

 

I think that some of the reasons why people choose not to donate their organs is that they are not fully aware of how the process works. For those with questions about organ donation, a good website to check out is Organ Donor.gov. Another good site is Share Your Life.
For those who will not be in good enough health to donate their organs or oppose organ donation for other reasons, I stongly urge you to consider giving your body to a local medical university for study. Contrary to what many may think, it is the rare exception rather than the rule that medical students treat their cadavers without the highest respect. I've stated above that I am very grateful for those families who allowed me to learn anatomy from their family members.
As pro-organ donation as I am, I sincerely believe that no one should be forced to donate organs or bodies to science through coercision and I respect those on this thread who have prayerfully considered this topic and chose against donation.

 

Of course, there would be more human organs to go around...mainly due to ignorance! Do you honestly think someone would search hi and lo to find your "I'm NOT a donor card?"!

In an opt-out system, would not our bodies BE the property of the state UNLESS we (I mean, our surviving loved ones...if we had any) could prove otherwise?

 

Clipper, ".gov" makes me suspicious already! (ha,ha)

 

Clipper, ".gov" makes me suspicious already! (ha,ha)</font>[/QUOTE]I can understand that, but it is the only way we can keep a national registry and make the matches extraordinarily quickly, as often needs to be done so that there is no deterioration of the donated organ before the transplant occurs.

I have a universal donor blood type. I am also registered and typed for a bone marrow transfusion should one be needed. Both of these are on national registries and I could get a call asking for help at any time.

 

A quick couple of additions here:

1. I am the recipient of medical technology that has helped me immensely. I was kicked by a horse in the gut when I was 21. Should I not have then had surgery but waited to see if the Lord would heal me? When they went in they found my spleen in hundreds of pieces (literally) and my pancreas severed almost in half. But I am alive today with no spleen and half a pancreas. The miracle is that I never went diabetic.

God works with the doctors. I have no doubt about that. And just as medical technology has saved my life twice now (the second time was when my appendix burst and I ended up with peritonitis and died in surgery), I don't mind a bit for folks to use what they can of me -- alive or dead -- to help others to live as well.

Yes, I know God is in charge of life and death, but nevertheless, I will do everything in my power to help other people live and to live as well as possible. And yes, I do believe it is condemning a person to die if I have something that can save his life and refuse to allow that to be done. Others have saved my life, and I'm grateful. Was it God's will that the horse kick should kill me? I would have died without surgical intervention. Was it God's will that the burst appendix should kill me? I am alive today due to the doctors intervening a second time.

And yet either time God could have taken me home with or without the intervention. I am alive by HIS grace but THROUGH the medical help I received. To be part of that for someone else is, for me, a privilege.

Please keep in mind that the man the good Samaritan found on the road was given the best medication of the day -- that is what the oil refers to. It was used medicinally.

IN the meantime, the giving of blood, platelets, bone marrow, kidney, etc., does not condemn a person to death! So really, except for the kidney, it's no big deal. It's not a sacrifice except of a little pain and time. The kidney is a big deal, but not a lethal one, or no living donor would do it! That's the only one I would call a sacrifice.

And lastly, I would rather have someone's 'old, used' heart which would keep on beating for me after mine wore out than not have any at all!

Although, now at this age, with my children pretty much all grown and gone, if the Lord wants to call me home, I'll go. I don't want Barry to be alone, so I hope he goes first. He has had enough lonliness and pain for ten lifetimes. I don't want him to have more. So maybe I would fight for my life once again...

At any rate, I hope if I go before the Rapture, that it will be with warning, like a cancer, so I will have time to get the scrapbooks and other stuff caught up and not leave my family with a mess!

 

Helen, I was not condemning the use of medicine or physicians in my post...I'm sorry if I gave that impression! Yes, God can use doctors and medicine as a means to help heal our bodies.

My issue is that of using the organs of DEAD PEOPLE. I'm concerned that our eagerness in helping to 'maybe' prolong a life today will lead to the oppression of future generations. (See my post to InHim2002 and Abiyah's previous post). What is 'voluntary' today can be MANDATORY tomorrow. (Remember the income tax?! )

I just think that we really need to step back and look at the WHOLE picture. I sense an attitude in general, by what I have read on the web, that if things continue the way they are heading, then people like me who are not organ donors (or receivers), for whatever reason, will be critized as selfish and unloving. Nothing could be further from the truth!

[ August 16, 2002, 04:38 PM: Message edited by: Farmer's Wife ]

 

I believe that God gave us the medical profession for the purpose of our health. I also believe that they have the obligation to help promote life and help others to regain some sort of normal life. But all of this with out the sacrifice of others. God did not give the medical proffession the right to play God.

The other problem is of it becoming big business!

As for organ transplant, as long as the before mentioned guide lines are followed, then I have no problem with organ donation or transplant.

"It is always better to stand up for conservatism, then to fall into liberalism" Justified Version

[ August 17, 2002, 10:11 AM: Message edited by: Justified ]