Opting out of organ donation

[ringme]

So the law has changed and this spring the NHS will consider you to be an organ donor automatically if you don’t opt out. I haven’t had a chance to really consider this all yet, WIBU to opt out at this stage until I have time to think about it or is that a selfish move given that 408 people died last year waiting for a donor?

What will you be doing?

www.organdonation.nhs.uk/helping-you-to-decide/about-organ-donation/faq/what-is-the-opt-out-system

I think it's disgusting; the state does not own my body nor do they get to decide what happens to it under any cirucumstances.
I think instead of this the law should state that everyone, as soon as they register eg at a doctor's surgery, HAS TO either opt in or opt out. But presuming an opt in is appalling.

Yabu

I opted out, main reason being they don't wait until you're dead before they start harvesting your (living) body.

I understand it is done when someone is brain dead and the body is being maintained only by machine. They have to do this so the tissues don’t die before removal. Not “alive” in any meaningful sense if your brain is dead and the only reason your heart and lungs are still going is because you’re on a machine.

I'm opting out. I genuinely don't care what happens to me after I die but I care massively about the people I leave behind. It'll be completely up to them what parts of me (if any) are recycled. If they can better grieve with me being used by med student's or transplants fine. If they feel they need me intact, also fine. I certainly don't want NHS or government staff having the power to over rule their wishes.

@missingmysheep lots of people have expressed their reasons for opting out. They exist.

I am a registered organ donor, but have absolutely no issue with someone opting out of donating - as long as they don't then think they are entitled to an organ if they need one! If you're not willing to give, why should you be allowed to benefit? That's my personal view anyway.

Even if you opt out the next of kin still has the final say.

DH doesn't like to think about this, he's squeamish 🙄 so he won't carry a card. If he was asked, he would say no he doesn't want to. However, he knows that in the event of his death I would give permission for his organs to be donated.

I suspect many people like him won't go to the effort of opting out (because that would mean he has to think about it) and so more people would donate 'by default'.

MGC31

Again, the form does not allow me to opt reproductive organs out.

It is specifically reproductive organs I am unwilling to donate, there have already been a few womb transplants so it isn't as if this is the stuff of science fiction.

Until I have an absolute cast iron guarantee that my reproductive organs will neither be transplanted nor used for experimentation I have no choice but to opt out completely, and yes, I have raised this with the organ donor registry (in Scotland as it happens but the same issue arises) and with my MSP. Neither have bothered to even respond to me.

I don't think anyone is being selfish by not wanting to donate THEIR own organs.

Surely you just opt in but ensure that your next of kin know your wishes? I honestly having been through it can't believe that this would be a barrier - a lot of the time they only take kidneys anyway

@WeeSleekitTimerousMoosey

Can I ask what it is about reproductive organ donation you are so against - not trying to be goady, I'm genuinely curious. How do these differ to other organs?

A poster upthread said families should not be able to say no to donation if someone is on the donor register. If that were to become the case then I think that automatic opt in would be wrong. What if someone didn't realise they were automatically opted in and the family were aware they didn't want to donate? No doubt some on here will say it doesn't matter but that's a dangerous path

Yes that was me. But that was with regards to the current opt in system. So if I register (which I have) my family should not be able to say no. There is no point having people on a register if their families then say no.

Dobby

For a start it most certainly wouldn't be life saving, or extending, but mostly I am very uncomfortable with the way the world is moving in terms of 'having babies' being increasingly seen as a 'right' that extends to everyone and how women are viewed as a result. I am also opposed to surrogacy for example. I do not want my body being used in such a manner either in terms of transplantation or in terms of being used for experimentation or training.

It is to me a totally different thing from transplanting kidneys or livers.

As agreed with others, everyone has the right to make this decision but I really dony understand WHY you would opt out...you ain't gonna need your organs once you've popped your clogs! YABU in my opinion.

Dony? Don't **

Also meant to say, unlike most organs, reproductive ones could be taken from living donors. As has happened with kidneys in the real world that potentially means wealthy people coercing poor people in to giving up their organs.

I really want to see a flat out ban to be honest.

Can I ask what it is about reproductive organ donation you are so against - not trying to be goady, I'm genuinely curious. How do these differ to other organs?

For me, I don’t see reproductive organs as essential to life and it doesn’t help someone who has a disability, such as blindness. It’s none essential and I have no wish for my reproductive organs being used to grow a baby. I think family members would find the thought extremely distressing.

As long as you also make sure you will never receive a donation, you should be able to remove yourself. But it should go both ways.

@Barracker

Two examples of presumed consent:

• Trauma patients in A+E. if you’re unconscious, you can’t consent, and doctors will do what they deem necessary to save your life.

• Post mortems. If ordered by a coroner, your wishes and those of your family have no bearing. If requested by a doctor, your family will need to consent - if you didn’t explicitly refuse a post-mortem before you died (and who does?) then your consent is presumed.

If the transplant people want more people to sign up, then they need to allow women to sign an opt out, regarding use of their reproductive organs.

To all those wanting to donate to medical research. It's not always that simple in practice. My mum wanted to do this but didn't qualify. So maybe if you havent do some research and check your eligible before you decline your organs to donation.

They can take what they want from me if it helps save someone else.

As I said earlier, I will opt out despite having been registered for many years. I did so this morning - someone gave the link earlier in the thread. I am happy for my organs to be used and will leave instructions for my next of kin but don't believe the state should have control over a person's body, alive or dead.

Before someone says for the millionth time on here if you don't donate you shouldn't accept - I agree and I wouldn't at my age so try thinking of something more original to say.

Considering the fact my husband will more than likely need a lung transplant in the future I think it’s great.

What a disgusting waste of organs being burnt or buried.

If you aren’t willing to give then, you should never be allowed to receive.

chasingrainbows those of us on this thread who have signed up for donating our bodies to medical research have done our own research.

As far as I understand the new system for which i have registered to opt out allows familise to over-ride that when I am dead. I was optin under the old system but have now opted out because the principle of being against Big State opting us all in.

On the question of should I get an organ via the NHS or not in that case those are difficult questions. I have paid hundreds of thousands of tax to fund the NHS and hardly ever use it - seen my G once on 15 years kind of not using it yet I never say all those people who pay muchj less tax (direct and indirect) should have less recourse to the NHS than I do.