Donation of organs 'should be automatic' upon death

[LittleLupin]

Story here

"People should automatically have their organs removed for transplant after they die unless they opted out while alive, Britain's most senior doctor is expected to say tomorrow in his annual report."

Sounds like a good idea to me.

You are right Fio. My understanding is that if the person is carrying a donor card the discussion about organs is far more likely to happen and the next of kin will know that they are following the dead person's wishes. Without a donor card the relatives often have no idea what the dead person would have wanted. To my horror, I have no idea if my dh would want to donate his organs. Straw poll- am I the only one who knows nothing of their dh's/dp's wishes?

My nan has just done her will, and she's requested all viable organs except her eyes be donated.

I know my dh wants his organs transplanted, if possible, but our family situation and experiences are very different from the 'norm'.

Only a very small number of peoples organs can be transplanted anyway

I don't actually know, but if he died and they asked me I would say yes.
After all, I know this sounds callous but he wont be needing them anymore.

unless you have been in that situation you have no idea what you would do

Agree totally naily. All I am saying is that if you haven't had the discussion (like me and dh ) then you just don't know what the dead person's wishes are and that must make the whole thing so much more traumatic.

I would be devastated but I would still say yes.

Fio, did you see recently the new surgery of liver transplantation - they can now take a part liver from a living donor and transplant - because the liver regenerates it works seemingly pretty well

there was a young man recently gave his dad a part liver

i think that is the way forward - not twisting the arms of relatives in hospital corridors

naily there was thread on here about it

I would be all for this. Sadly dh and I are lost to organ donation as over here in Germany they wouldn't have my organs (they're worried about CJD - I can't even give blood) and dh is adamant he doesn't want to donate his - we have discussed it in depth but he is just very uncomfortable with the idea. He also says he would not want to receive an organ either, which also makes me very and a bit .

If, God forbid, anything should happen to dc, we would both agree to donate.

Yeah naily, I think their should be little or no choice about taking organs if you are over 21. At the end of the day our body is just a vessel, when you are dead your body is just an empty shell; if you are a person who likes to help why should you not help one last time in death. Like I said they could take everything from me if they wished, but if I had a choice I would prefer to keep my eyes. I fluctuate actually between leaving my body for science or just letting them take my internal organs. Hopefully I have many years left to make this choice.

oh!
i missed it

Loobeeloo but that?s not how it would work because the transplant team is totally seperate from the treatment team iyswim. Also donating organs from a particular hospital would not necessarily do anything for that hospital?s figures, because even if a patient?s organs were suitable for donation, it?s unlikely that those organs would go to patients being treated under that particular hospital, as the waiting list is nationwide and the organs would go to the next suitable recipient, wherever he/she might live.

And really what is the problem with donating your organs? You will be dead after all so won?t be needing them wherever it is you?re going. Even your eyes will only be that discerning part of your body until such times as you?re buried say, two, three days later?

I actually agree with dead donors rather than live donors, as I did state on the thread. i dont actually want to harp on about it all again....

floo, it is FAR more complex than 'your body is a vessel'. Its how I feel aswell myself for alot of people it just isnt the case, especially for religious reasons

i missed out a 'but'

floo, thats great, good for you, what you have to do now is tell your next of kin your wishes and im usre they will carry out these wishes for you

and I thought that the law had recently been changed so that relatives can't overturn the wishes of someone on the register any more?

oh harp away fio please. im interested

Depends also on having faith in the medical profession/hospital staff. Unfortunately, this has been dented by some high profile cases in recent years.

nailpolish live doners carries its own pressures though - the pressure on family members to donate part of themselves to help another family member live, and the knowledge that refusing to do so could result in the death of that family member. That's a hell of a responsibility to be placed on anyone imo, far greater than that of donating your organs when you're dead.

this was the other thread

oh yes i know wannabe. i work in a transplant unit

Fio
i hope ive not upset you babes
ill go and read thread

re the live donations

My dad was on the transplant list for about 3 years. During that time he had to travel a four hour round trip to Edinburgh for dialysis 3 times a week. It was never mentioned to us about live organ donation. It wasn't until a couple of years after my dad died that I heard about it. i asked my mum why it hadn't been mentioned. She said that we (my 2 brothers and I) were too young - I was 15 when my dad got his transplant, and if dad had mentioned it to his sisters they would have felt pressured into doing it and he didn't want them to feel that they had to do it.