There is a Boy: Why People Refuse to Become Registered Organ Donors - Comments

I am not a registered donor for after I die because if it's time for you to die, it's time for you to die. Sorry, that's just the way it is.
Might need to talk to some people that decide to have the kids they know will be suffering later in life and also some that have another child just to have their own little piece project on hand for the older one that needs something. But that's a different situation and I'd rather not go off on a tangent.

A little late on replying back, as I completely forgot about this, but thank you, lovecraft for only taking ONE aspect of my rebuttal to this argument and ignoring everything else. That was just swell.

I woud only donate my organs after I'm dead. Once my heart stops beating they can go ahead and slice me open and help themselves to all of my organs. But I wouldn't ever donate them while i'm still alive, cause I'm kinda using them right now.

This is mainly for that DoctorBarber guy, but I just wanted to say that you don't actually need both lungs. People live normal lives with just one. They were going to take out my left one when I was a baby because it wasn't working, and they weren't worried about it all all.
I'm signed up to be an organ donor when I die, and I'm thinking about donating when I get older.
One thing to the author, though. When I'm trying to convince some one to do something, I don't usually start by insulting them. Even if sometimes it is the case, it's generalizing things, and that's never good.

Callused, I think you missed the 'Healthy Organs' bit. By that statement, I assume she means that people who CAN donate, DON'T because of those three reasons.

"In conclusion, there are only three reasons why any given person with healthy organs might refuse to become an organ donor (fear, ignorance, and selfishness)."

Rude. That's just simply rude. Like it has been stated, some people CAN'T donate their organs, whether it be because there are rules against it, or they can't physically survive it, it's just not feasible. Also, I disagree with the emotional watery argument of, 'somewhere, a boy is dying' technique, since while possible, it's only being used to bring forth an emotional response. Also, if someone truly BELIEVES that they shouldn't donate an organ, who are you to tell them they're ignorant or selfish? If they truly believe that their God doesn't want them to do something and when no law compels them to, you really don't have a say in it.

Also, even though there are the 'worst case scenarios' shown after organ transplants, there is still a LOT of work involved before and after an organ transplant occurs. The donor goes through quite a bit what with surgery (which surgery is NEVER something to take lightly) and the post-op recovery. Calling someone selfish for not wanting to take that risk is harsh, judgmental and unnecessary. Next time, try to HONESTLY look at both sides.

I'm an organ doner. I mean I'm healthy and if (knock on wood) I do happen to pass on what am I going to do with them when I'm dead. It's ultimately up to the person, I don't tell people they have too. I'm one cause my parents are and I thought it was a good idea. Seeing as when my Grandmother needed a kidney how long the process takes. I agree there should be more people but it's a scary thought of losing a piece of you.

I can't dontate my organs. I'm not allowed to. Rahter than focusing on how people won't, realize some people can't. I'm not allowed to even donate blood. Because i was born in Germany, during a Mad Cow scare i will most likely never ever be able to dontate anything. Lots of military families are in the same position as me, lots of people aren't allowed.
Also, i think its okay for people not to want their organs. I think religion is toatally a reason why someone might not want to donate organs. Also, i have to agree with what might be though of as cruel. Natural selection needs to happen. What if what caused a person to need the lung is in their genes. Their need for an organ could continue for generations. There are GOOD reasons why people might not donate an organ.
But a pretty well written article, i have to admit. Although it won't convince people who are inbetween on an issue to support it, because it was just so extreme.

I'm not an organ donor because I'm a REALLY unhealthy person and I wouldn't like to pass on my battered organs to some other poor soul. I just don't think its fair.

I agree with Doctor Barber.
But also, you have to think of it this way - more people on earth = less earth. If the person's organs shut down, it's time for them to go. It's great to help someone out, but if you look at the number of people in the world, you'd see it would help us all in the long run to let nature do its thing. What is better; Saving one person and contributing to the over-population and eventual death of plant earth, or letting nature do its thing and give the earth a little bit of chance to recover? Maybe I'm "inhumane", but going with the first choice sounds kind of counter-productive.

I am actually an organ donor, mainly because my mother is a doctor and i have heard first hand the stories of otherwise perfectly healthy people dying because they couldnt find a suitable match for organ transplant. When i was sixteen i donated bone marrow (not an organ i know but still incredibly important and scarcer than organs themselves) to another young girl and although the procedure only meant an afternoon in hospital (for me anyway) it was still quite a traumatic experience and i can fully understand why people are afraid to do it.

Deceased Innocence: Your attention to the end seventh paragraph, please: "In addition, all major religions support donation. Therefore, religious beliefs are no excuse to refuse registration (Tribune Editorial Board)." Islam would be considered a major religion. Maybe your particular division of it believes that (I'm assuming you're Islamic), but for the most part it's a myth.

Doctor Barber: I agree with you, living donations are much more risky and I would not blame someone for refusing that. Kidneys are one thing, but lungs and hearts and such are completely different. However, I learned while researching this article that when a person needs a lung transplant, they don't always need an entire lung. More often than not, they only need a certain part of it--a single lobe, for example. The article was also meant to focus more on donations after death as well, so sorry for any miscommunication there.

Kafka: A wealthy person with a well-paying job would most likely not want to do this. But take a family like mine, one that's not exactly poor but could use some extra cash to help pay off the bills once in a while, and the odds of donation for payment are much higher. It's interesting that you say that though, because (I forget if I quoted this in the article or not) the author of the study that that information was pulled from did say something along the lines of "We do not want a society in which the rich literally live off of the bodies of the poor." Make what you will of that, I suppose.

Violet Blood: I was not aware of that. I suppose it must be a rare occurence, though, because doctors are not supposed to have that information until after a patient has been declared dead. At least, according to my research.

As for everyone else, thank you for the lovely compliments. They are much appreciated. ♥

I would just like to say that this was probably one of the best articles I have ever read on this site. It was very well-written and researched. Personally, I can understand why someone wouldn't want to give up an organ while they were still alive but I can't understand why more people don't sign up to become organ donors after they die.

What about those who don't donate because of religion? The Islamic faith prevents any one from cutting into a body or mutilating a body. I'm just saying...not everyone refuses to donate because they are selfish or ignorant

So you're saying that everyone should just give up their organs? I can only agree with you to a point. Like the boy dying of lung cancer or whatever - you can't just give a lung, you need both (don't you?). You have to be dead. So there's not much of an argument there, I certainly think that everyone should be a registered organ donor in the case that they should die from something like a car crash - I am.
But otherwise, there's really not that many vital organs you can just give up. Like I said, I don't think you can give up just one lung, you definitely can't donate your heart. If someone were to donate a kidney or part of their liver, it would compromise their health for the rest of their life.
Not to mention that these operations have risk involved.
I just don't think it's realistic to expect people to go through painful, risky (even though they're not usually that risky) operations and procedures to donate part of their health to someone they don't know. And I don't entirely think people should be blamed or thought badly of for it.
I don't know, that's just my opinion. I definitely think people should be registered organ donors in the case they die, and should regularly give blood and things like that, but I just don't think it's fair to expect anything so huge.

I personally loved this artical. My mother is an OR Tech., therefore I have heard a few "disturbing" stories. But my mom has never told me one where someone dies. And my sister has a world-full of doctors for all of her medical problems. If a time came where she needed an organ donation, I've come fully prepared to donate my heart and brain.

[i]Payment would decrease the scarcity of organ donations, but this study only goes to show how selfish human beings are by nature. [/i]
I think what it shows is how desperate poor people are to make a living. Do you think somebody with a good stable job would risk their life in exchange for a couple hundreds or thousands of dollars? The extremely poor and extremely desperate would be the only ones donating organs for money.

I do agree with you that people should be registered donors. However, I would like to argue one point. You make the claim against the fear of doctors not trying as hard to save registered donors. However, this is not a completely irrational fear. While I'm sure most doctors and places have the morals to not use it as a factor of how hard to try to save one's life, there are some that do. My cousin works in an emergency room and he has witnessed cases where a doctor is obviously not trying as hard as he could because the patient is a organ donor. It is rare, but it happens. Just because the source says that it doesn't happen in that location does not automatically make it fact for every doctor in every hospital.