Donations of organs
'The gift of Life'
By Janet Cribb
You may have been asked when you made your Will whether you would be willing to donate your organs to benefit someone else whose life depends on help from a donor.
Organ donation started with blood transfusion in the early 20th century, a German scientist called Landsteiner discovered that some people’s blood was good for transplanting whilst others didn’t work at all. The result of his research was the discovery of the ABO blood grouping system. Many, many people are alive today thanks to the transfer of compatible blood from one person to another. Organ donation is an extension of this process and requires a much closer tissue match than the ABO groups, so finding the right donor for an organ is a much more sophisticated process than blood typing. The best chance of success with transplants is when the donor is a family member, and generous parents, children, brothers and sisters may indeed sacrifice a ‘spare’ kidney, or some bone marrow. Of course this is not an option for heart, liver or lung transplants. The general pool of available organs therefore must be wide and far reaching, even to the point of being international and using worldwide registers in the hope that a compatible donor might be available somewhere.
There is no argument to deny the sanctity of a vital organ in a dying person, or the gift of blood from a living donor, to help save a life in danger, unless you belong to a religion that specifically forbids it. You can give blood at 18 and only stop when there is good reason not to give blood any more. You will have done your bit, but you will not have completely done your bit until whatever is of use in your dying body is harvested and given to somebody else whose very life depends on it.
In this day and age, we are ever more security-conscious, and many countries now have an Identity card system. Some ID cards will incorporate permission to use organs for therapeutic purposes, other countries adopt the view that you can opt out, and anyone who hasn’t opted out officially (usually by ID or drivers license) will be taken to agree to organ donation in the event of an accident.
A police officer investigating a motorway/freeway/highway crash is often the first on the scene and looking in the purse or wallet of a victim to see who they are, he or she will also see a donor card if carried. If you do have a donor card keep it where it will be found straight away. Medical staff in the emergency department know what to do but must still, in some countries such as the UK, legally consult next-of-kin about the use of organs. However, most families will abide by the known wishes of the victim. As in so many other areas to do with Wills it is not knowing that causes the arguments and difficulties for a family.
More people die waiting for transplants than are saved by a given organ. Doctors cannot extend promises to their patients, but the more organs that are available the better chance there is for success and an extension of quality life. We have come a very long way since the first transplant surgery in the early 60’s, a hit and miss affair. Without our pioneering doctors and their patients, many people who enjoy a comparatively normal life today would otherwise have been 6 feet under long ago. You could be the willing giver or recipient of a vital organ at any time!
We have given the links for as many international donor web-sites as possible for countries where it is advisable to carry a card, (even then relatives may intervene) and another list of countries where ‘opting out’ is the only way.
WheresTheWill.com supports the concept of organ donation, please browse the web-site appropriate for you and consider making the necessary arrangements.
Interesting resources:
Comprehensive list of national websites concerning organ donation: Here
Religious Perspectives: A Canadian site looks at the religious perspective: Here
Presumed Consent - The British Medical Association discuss their views on the subject: Here
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Janet Cribb
Channel: Wills & Living Trusts |
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