14 replies to this topic

[futureofscience]

http://news.bbc.co.u...lth/6902519.stm


The chief medical officer over here has suggested that organ donation should become an "opt out" process as opposed to the current "opt in" process we have here. Apparantly on average approximately one person a day dies over here waiting for an organ transplant. Opt out schemes are popular elsewhere in Europe.

Opinions?

Personally I think it's great. I've carried a donor card ever since I can remember when and when the computer registration system opened I was straight on. (Basically before that you used to carry a card stating your wishes, but it was still possible that relatives could say no).

[Zarrka]

When i found out Aegist ticked the doner option on his license, i cried. Its selfish, its horrible, but i dont care. If i happen to be around when shane dies, i want to be able to say goodbye to him properly before they drag his not yet cold body from under me.

Im emotional. so shoot me.

[Live Forever]

I think opt out is a good way to go. It still gives people the choice of not doing it, but for people that are too lazy to decide one way or the other, then they are in.

In the US, they always ask you when you go to get your drivers license whether you want to be an organ donator or not. Is that how they do it in other places?

[Live Forever]

Also, I remember a thread from awhile back in the cryonics forum discussing if it would be possible to both donate your organs and be cryopreserved. I think the eventual answer was that it is not really feasible at this point to do both, because cryonics is concerned mainly with as good of preservation as possible.

[bgwowk]

New DCD (declaration of cardiac death) protocols for organ donation could be compatible with cryonics if physicians and the cryonics team acted cooperatively. It's arranging the cooperation that would be the hard part.

Interestingly, two experts on DCD will be doing a panel discussion on critical care medicine and cryonics at the upcoming Alcor conference. This topic will almost certainly come up.

http://www.alcor.org...2007/index.html

[Live Forever]

New DCD (declaration of cardiac death) protocols for organ donation could be compatible with cryonics if physicians and the cryonics team acted cooperatively.  It's arranging the cooperation that would be the hard part.

Interestingly, two experts on DCD will be doing a panel discussion on critical care medicine and cryonics at the upcoming Alcor conference.  This topic will almost certainly come up.

http://www.alcor.org...2007/index.html

Hmm, interesting. I bet if someone was the "first reported case" of having such a procedure, it would get some ink in the press. (plus it would just be a cool procedure to 1) be a part of for the teams or doctors involved, and 2) to read about for the rest of us)

[Shannon Vyff]

You could have organs donated when your head is preserved. That would be a good case for publicity and I hope one occurs. I'm for opting out, in general though--because there is such a need right now and it is sad to let usable organs rot-and people die that could have many more years.

I'd like to see more research into organ printing though, and point this out when cryonics is presented as 'selfish'.

[zoolander]

Catichka I'm totally with you on that one however, don't you think that preserving the wishes of your loved one when they die is very important regardless of what they are and how you feel.

I'll say again that I'm with you on that one Catichka and I definately share the same sense of emotion with topics like this. It's a moral dillema indeed

[zoolander]

oh yes and to answer the question......an opt out organ donor systems essentially gives the state default ownership of your body/bodyparts. It's not hard to see the reasoning behind an opt out organ donor system and that is to catch people unaware of the situation and then when the time comes, swoosh, their organs are gone without a blink of an eye. Even though the people around say that "No, Joe bloggs wouldn't want someone to have his organs" Well that's to bad buddy the document to say this was never signed.

IMO it's not right to try and increase the percentage of citizen's donating their organs to medical science by tricking them into donating. I'm guessing that the average person would not be fully informed either.

[Zarrka]

Zoolander, i know its important to respect the wishes of another. but, as you say it is hard. I just hope i am never in aposition where i need to make the decision.

There was some medical TV show (probably house) that showed this dilema. The newly widowed wife was taken around and shown a few of the lives that her husbands death would save. His heart went to some emergency, as did his kidney, skin was used to help burn victoms, etc. I know what organ donation can do for others. I still want my right as a wife to be able to say goodbye the the man that i loved. and as far as i understand it, they need to take the body away pretty much as soon as death occours so the organs dont become unusable.

So, i just hope that i never have to make the decision.

[zoolander]

I understand.

[bgwowk]

You could have organs donated when your head is preserved.

To be clear, right now that is only a theoretical possibility. There is presently no legal or logistical mechanism for doing that. Currently you must donate your entire body to your cryonics organization, or confusion will result.

[bgwowk]

I think people may have the wrong picture of how organ donation happens if they are concerned about saying goodbye. Organs cannot be taken from just anyone who dies. The reason there is an organ shortage is because only a very small fraction of people die under conditions compatible with organ donation. Specifically, the patient must be on life support with a poor prognosis, and a decision made to remove life support, often because brain death has already occurred. It's not a situation where death occurs unexpectedly and doctors swoop in. It's planned and timed.

There is interest in finding ways of recovering organs from people who die under uncontrolled conditions, but such procedures are still at the research stage. Donation after uncontrolled death is usually limited to tissues that can tolerate ischemia, like corneas, cartilage, heart valves, etc.

Edited by bgwowk, 18 July 2007 - 03:33 PM.

[Neurosail]

I remember I asked these types of questions to Alcor back when I first signed up in 1993, I believe Linda told me it was impossible to donate and be neuro-suspended at the same time. I guess that is still true today... Maybe in the future this could be worked out. It would help cryonics be more accepted if neuro was thought of as just another organ donation as the liver, lungs, heart and other organs.

[Ghostrider]

Only downside to the opt-out program is that by expanding the supply it provides less motivation to research ways to fabricate organs from stem cells. It's pro-replacement and anti-rejuvenation.

One more option: there are hundreds if not thousands of people waiting death sentence. Why not start examining these people for "parts" and if a match is found, just surgically remove the organ from the person who will be executed? I know that there is some program in the US to shorten jail terms for prisoners who donate kidneys.