I want to donate my organs, but.....

[Thurlor]

Hello all,

It's been a while since I've posted anything but recently an issue has arisen that I would like some insight into.

A couple of weeks ago my mother had to visit the hospital with some kidney troubles and I started thinking about the issue of organ donation. I've always agreed with it in concept but in practice I find it to be too restrictive.

AFAIK there appears to be no ability for a donor to blacklist individuals or groups of individuals from receiving said donor's organs (or even blood). Why? Shouldn't a prospective donor be allowed to determine which individuals receive their parts?

Speaking for myself, I can't get behind organ donation until I have the right to deny my organs to violent criminals, bigots, theists, anti-science nut jobs and arseholes in general.

So, would you donate or not and why?

 

[OrLevitate]

Was thinking maybe there's a correlation of criminals getting injured, rethinking their lives, and reforming their ways to be upstanding citizens. But I found the opposite...

"Over half (58%) of all injured ED [emergency department] patients had a documented arrest history, and arrests were significantly more common in those who came back to the ED for repeat trauma vs. those who did not revisit the ED (70.4% vs. 55.9%, respectively; p < 0.05)."

"Significant risk factors for ED recidivism seem to be high-risk substance-abuse-related behaviors and criminal activity,"

This is only ER records, just one source, and not exclusively organ transplants but it makes sense that criminals or substance abusers who were driven to do such due to circumstances that remain after their injuries will return to being criminals and substance abusers, and perhaps even feel stronger and less inhibited due to getting past an injury.

I guess you gotta be either apathetic or really altruistic to uphold a Hippocratic oath.

Since the effect one's donated organs have on society via the receiver of the organs is probabilistic, it's best to consider whether it's better if nobody donates organs at all or everyone does.

I'm okay with donating, but I like your blacklisting idea. However, stem cell stuff is gonna replace transplants from donors anyways right?

Then it becomes a purely legal issue, or something, along the lines of "better if everyone or no one does it?" I think denying a large group of people, who are criminals... from being able to keep living when a stem cell replacement part is waiting for them, would cause way more problems than just giving them the replacement would. Maybe denying stem cell transplants for a small classification of hardcore criminals would work, however it might also bump up the demand and thus supply for blackmarket organs.

 

[Thurlor]

@ OrLevitate

To be honest I hadn't even considered the implications of stem cells, which is weird considering I have previously envisioned a future where we can all maintain 'health' via cloned organs/bodies.

I can't really see a valid reason for denying cloned organs for anyone. My objections to organ donation revolve around my personal belief that the receivers are 'unworthy' of the gift or two-faced in regards to it's history and usage.

I'm not wanting to make laws prohibiting some from receiving organ donations. Instead I just want the ability to create a blacklist for my organs only.

 

[OrLevitate]

Currently, if you affected change and created the blacklist option, all the people you blacklisted would simply get their organs from someone else, and in the future everyone would probably just get stem cell organs in which case the Hippocratic oath of the doctors in charge allows for no blacklist.

You can donate your body to medical research!

 

[Pyropyro]

For the personal blacklisting organs

I can't find the exact Australian law for organ donation but it seems that you have to have to register at the Australian Organ Donor Register to express your consent as a donor. They have a FAQ here.

It says "you have complete choice over which organs and tissue you wish to donate"

My personal opinion on the matter
You know what, that's actually a good idea. I wouldn't mind people using my stuff after I die.

Stem cell derived organs
Organogenesis (making organs out of stuff) is quite exciting actually. Simpler organs like ears, skin etc. are easy to grow in culture and transplanted. The tricky ones to make are the complex organs like hearts, lungs etc. It seems that there are now some complex organs growing in vitro (basically in the lab) and it might take a decade or two to have them in the market.

 

[Melkor]

I can understand your concerns but I don't really share them. o-o
I think the body is merely a useless husk which one should have no sentiment over it's fate after death (and indeed you'll be incapable of sentiment!)

In addition I think we should leave that kind of moral quibble to the medical staff of any given situation. If trained professionals feel that person deserves an organ, and they understand a great deal more of the universe and it's extremities than I do as a mere organ holder, then I believe my opinion is invalid on the matter.
But yeah, this:

You can donate your body to medical research!

 

[Jennywocky]

If someone wants one of my kidneys after I'm dead, more power to them. I guess I wouldn't enable the survival of a complete asshat a la Stalin or Donald Trump or Rick Santorum (ha); but seriously speaking, in general, a life is a life and maybe it will be redemptive in some way beyond the tangible element.

You can donate your body to medical
research!

Body farms!

 

[Grayman]

I can understand your concerns but I don't really share them. o-o
I think the body is merely a useless husk which one should have no sentiment over it's fate after death (and indeed you'll be incapable of sentiment!)

In addition I think we should leave that kind of moral quibble to the medical staff of any given situation. If trained professionals feel that person deserves an organ, and they understand a great deal more of the universe and it's extremities than I do as a mere organ holder, then I believe my opinion is invalid on the matter.
But yeah, this:

Professionals dont differentiate based on personal moral guidelines which seems to be the issue here.

.............

The risk of letting an innocent die is not worth abstaining from helping a non-inon-innocent. Not that I personally believe such notions but it seems the right answer for you.

 

[Thurlor]

Professionals dont differentiate based on personal moral guidelines which seems to be the issue here.

That's very much a part of my reasoning.



@ All

I have no issue with donating my body to science.

 

[Yellow]

I'm registered as an organ donor, and I really don't care who my organs go to. I'll be dead. The only thing I care about happening to my body after I'm dead is that I don't want a proper burial because the concept of posthumously claiming land is insane.

As far as being picky about organs, even if it matters to you, how do you know that the noncriminal, intelligent, upstanding community member getting your liver isn't a closet pedophile? How do you know that the convicted (and apparently released) murderer isn't loved and cherished by his entire family? As far as the more subjective qualities go, most of us, if we live long enough, will age to become closed-minded assholes (at least according to the standards of the youth in a hypothetically future society). "He's that old guy who thinks people who don't believe in the Big Bang shouldn't even be allowed organ donations."

 

[BrainVessel]

"I want to carefully chose whose lives I may save" seems pretty bigoted to me.

Yes, it is your body and you have a right to do whatever you want to it, but if you die and chose not to save a life because of their history it makes your ethics no better than that of a criminal, theist, or asshole imo. We should always carefully entertain the thought of redemption. It's more than likely that any individual with issues were just introduced to different principles than you and believe them to be true just like you believe that your principles are true and it makes you no better than those who are supposedly confused and violent if you're not willing to offer them a second chance to understand.

Perhaps a better solution would be that one leaves a note along with their body to whomever gets their organs. A chance to change their mind instead of just letting them die when you have the power to prevent otherwise.