ORGAN DONATION?

[CailinDeas]

Have any of you agreed to be organ donors in the future? What are your thoughts on the matter?

[DEN53]

Are you Sqad - donating your organs ?

[Sqad]

ummmm...yepp I read your first answer and assumed you were against donating organs and didn´t read your latest post.

[ummmm]

No...I'm all for it :-)

[milly143]

Rowan, why's that?

[woofgang]

Sqad. I just dislike the exceptions to the rule response..It sounds fine to generalise in this way until its rephrased back to individuals...alos as you know I have a deep aversion to the "doctor is always right" scenario

[Bobbisox]

glad you put the 's' on there DEN

[Sqad]

Den

Not until after death ;-)

[rowanwitch]

One clinical decision....one bad day...haunts me

[DEN53]

I nearly didn't put the (s), but I would have been jumped on, so thought it best.

[Sqad]

woofgang.....so who makes the decision to "harvest" the organs?

Doctors on medical directions would seem to be the obvious answer unless you have an alternative suggestion.

[Bobbisox]

we could have AB raffled it..(smirk)

[woofgang]

I have no problem with "required request" or opt out and often it will be absolutely evident that the patient is dead...just not happy with compulsion or entirely trusting the doc's decision who in some respects will be looking at the person and thinking "heart okay, lungs yup, kidneys, yup, liver...maybe, corneas yup...and don't tell me they never do think like that because I will not believe you.

[Sqad]

woofgang....you still haven´t answered my question.

If you don´t like doctors making the decision...........who would you like?

[woofgang]

The relatives/close ones of the prospective donor in conjunction with the donors expressed wishes of course

[Sqad]

That already happens.......if the doctor says, can we harvest his organs and the relatives say no.....then end of story.

Again....you havent answered my question.....who would you like to make the diagnosis of "brain dead?"

[rowanwitch]

As things stand when a potential donor is identified i.e someone who would meet the criteria of brain death, the next of kin would be approached by the medical team including a transplant coordinator and formally asked for permission. This is regardless of whether a donor card or entry on the donor register is present (although it makes things easier) Regardless of the patients expressed wishes when alive they could be over- ridden by the family although it is likely an advance directive refusing donation would be accepted (a colleague always threatened to donate her husbands organs even though he didn't approve of transplantation)

[mccfluff]

when my sis was pronounced BD, my dad was asked to make the decision, i take some comfort that other people have been able to live (hopefully) though her death.

i'm on the register but like others i think it should be an "opt out" system

[woofgang]

and the current system is fine by me. What i don't want to see is any kind of compulsion or ignoring of the views of the injured person or the relis.

[Sqad]

Woofgang

<<<<<Let us chop up your son/daughter/husband/wife because we are probably right that they are brain dead"<<<<

and you now say

<<<<<<<and the current system is fine by me.<<<<

I´m afraid that I cannot help you any further as I do not understand your problem.

[China Doll]

I'm also an organ doner and believe that we should make apathy work for us by having a system where you opt out of being a donor and not in.