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Seven questions and answers about organ donation.
Q. How serious is the organ shortage?
A. More than 60,000 Americans are waiting to receive
lifesaving organ transplants. A new name is added to the
national waiting list every 16 minutes. Unfortunately, ten
people die each day waiting for an organ.
Q. How do I become and organ donor?
A. Tell your family your wishes. In the event of your death,
your next of kin’s permission must be obtained. An organ
donor card or your driver’s license are only indications of
your wishes. Family consent must still be obtained.
Q. What is brain death?
A. A person can only become an organ donor if he or she dies
from a brain death injury. Brain death is death. It occurs
when the brain and the brain stem stop functioning.
Q. Is brain death the same as a coma or vegetative state?
A. No. A person in a coma or vegetative state still has some
brain activity and, therefore, has not died.
Q. If the medical team knows a person is a donor will they
be tempted to “jump the gun”?
A. No. The doctors who determine brain death are not the same
doctors involved in transplantation.
Q. Are there religious reasons not to donate?
A. Most major religions, including the Protestant, Catholic,
and Jewish faiths, support organ donation as a virtuous and
charitable act. Other religions view donation as a personal
choice. Generally, Christians believe that God’s ability to
resurrect us is not dependent on whether or not all our parts
were connected at death. This relates not only to organ
donation, but also to victims of burning and explosive
accidents, and war. Religions that may
be exceptions are some branches of the Shinto faith and the
folk beliefs of various gypsies.
Q. Do the rich and famous have a better chance of receiving
a transplant?
A. Eligibility to receive an organ transplant is not
determined by a person’s financial status or celebrity.
Organs are fairly allocated based upon medical urgency, blood
type, weight, size, genetic typing, and length of time on the
waiting list. |
