The Importance of Organ Donation

The Importance of Organ Donation

Each day approximately 6,300 people die and what makes this haunting is that presently there are 83,513 people waiting for organs to be donated, yet each day 17 people die because they do not receive a transplant (http://www.donatelife.net/facts_stats.html). These statistics show that people who are waiting for organ transplants have a good chance at being saved and get what they need. The sad truth is though, because of the lack of people willing to donate organs, many people will continue to wait for organs to save their lives. “Waiting lists of patients for organ transplants become longer as the need for transplantable organs increases” (Sheehy 1). Think back to how someone might feel when a close family member or friend dies. With out argument, the feeling one experiences when going through a time like that is one of the most painful experiences. The feeling when one gets when they know that they will never again see the person you loved so much, never hold them, touch them, experience their presence. It is a horrible feeling. What many do not realize is simply by donating organs, you can help someone else not have to deal with that pain.

Organ donation is when someone who has died, has previously given permission for their organs to be taken from their body and transplanted into someone else’s who because of some sort of medical condition, can not survive off of their own. At the time of death one’s heart, intestine, kidneys, liver, lung, pancreas, pancreas islet cell, heart valves, bone, skin, corneas, veins, cartilage, and tendons can all be used for transplantation. Choosing to donate organs is beneficial to many people, morally the right thing to do when you pass on and, is also one of the most important ways for survival of many people.

Organ donation is often perceived with doubt because many people do not know the truth. There are many myths out about the donating of organs that cause many people to opt not to. What many do not realize is the truth about organ donation. The body of the donor after the surgery is not mangled up and is presentable for the funeral. Organ donation is ethical and should not be looked down upon. Organ donating is there to save lives, not to hurt anyone. Many people think that they should be paid or given something in return for donating their organs, which is a viable idea, but most people should want to do it because of the benefit it has for someone who is dying. “We are not talking about people selling organs; we are talking about people who are dead and whose organs are available for salvage” (Riddick 1). There is a huge shortage of organs, but if people were really educated about this topic, they would see the many benefits of this important endeavor.

When someone is pronounced dead, and not until then, the doctors will then present the choice for donation. Since one is dead and can’t give their consent, it is marked on their driver’s license whether they are a donor or not. “Unfortunatly, less than one-fifth of the american people actually sign a donor card” (Fentiman).If yes, their organs should be donated, but a problem that is arising more and more is that families of the deceased are overriding the choice of the dead, and saying no to donation. “ More than half of the eligible donors refuse to donate their recently decreased family member’s organs because they don’t know how the decreased felt about organ donation” (MacPherson). This brings about a lot of debate. If the person who has passed on has chosen to give a gift of life, something so incredibly important, their families should not have the right to overturn their decision about their own body. This is an issue that is causing the loss of many donations.

“Return good, for evil, life for death” as said by Reg and Maggie Green, who donated their son Nicholas’ organs after he was shot and killed at the age of seven. This is a perfect example of how to turn the harshness of death into something good. As the Green’s said “ someone should have the future Nicholas lost”. Not only did one person have a future to look forward to, Nicholas’ organs went to seven different people. Many often feel when a loved one dies it is evil that they are being put through those feelings. Instead of making another person go through that evil, turn it in to good. Ease the pain of death by bringing new life to someone who has been suffering. It is one of the simplest and most effective ways to help erase the pain one feels and bring happiness back into their life.

For those who do not believe in organ donation, it is mostly because they believe in the myths. They don’t know any better because they have never been educated on the topic. A view seen by those who disagree with donating organs is that when someone dies, they are to be let alone to rest and