Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I still donate my organs to a member of my family if I register with WeMatchDonors.com?
A. Yes.  The WeMatchDonors.com membership agreement specifically states that you retain your right to donate your organs to a member of your family.

Q. If I register with WeMatchDonors.com, do my family members get preferred access to the organs of other WeMatchDonors.com members?
A. No.  Your family members must register with WeMatchDonors.com to get preferred access to the organs of other members.

Q. Can children register with WeMatchDonors.com?
A. Adult members can enroll their minor children by logging into the Member Services page and following instructions there.

Q. I have already registered as an organ donor, checked the organ donor box on my drivers license, or signed an organ donor card.  Why should I register with WeMatchDonors.com?
A. You have indicated that you want to donate your organs when you die.  By registering with WeMatchDonors.com you take an additional step -- you indicate that you want to donate your organs to other registered organ donors.  You also increase your chances of getting a transplant if you ever need one, because you'll get first access to the organs of other WeMatchDonors.com members.

Q. Is anyone barred from registering with WeMatchDonors.com due to any pre-existing medical condition?
A. No.

Q. Why are people who don't have organs that are suitable for transplantation allowed to register with WeMatchDonors.com?
A. No one knows today whose organs will be transplantable in the future.  Surgeons are now routinely transplanting lots of organs they would have rejected just a few years ago.  As the organ shortage continues to grow, many organs that would be rejected today will likely be accepted in the future.  So anyone who is willing to donate their organs when they die is welcome to register with WeMatchDonors.com.

Q. Is there an age limit for organ donation?
A. No.  Organs have been transplanted from people in their 90's.  No one is too old to offer to donate their organs.

Q. Does registering with WeMatchDonors.com commit me to donating tissue or to donating my body?
A. No.

Q. Will registering with WeMatchDonors.com prevent me from getting an organ from a non-member?
A. No.

Q. Shouldn't organs go first to the people who need them most and have been waiting longest?
A. Organs should go first to the people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die.  This increases the number of organ donors, and that saves lives.  As WeMatchDonors.com increases the supply of organs everyone benefits, even non-members.  Besides, it's a myth that organs are now given first to the people who need them most or have been waiting longest.  Some of the people who need organs most can't even get on the waiting list because they can't afford to pay for a transplant.  Many who have been on the waiting list a long time are removed from the list because they're considered too sick to get a transplant.

Q. Shouldn't organs be allocated based on medical considerations, not personal characteristics?
A. Non-medical considerations and personal characteristics already play a role in the organ allocation system.  Examples include age, location, time spent on the waiting list, and ability to pay.  By also using donor status in allocating organs, WeMatchDonors.com increases the number of donors and saves lives.  WeMatchDonors.com respects the medical considerations that are used to allocate organs.  We ask only that those considerations be applied first to organ donors.  This is already being done for live organ donors.  WeMatchDonors.com helps make sure it's also done for people who promise to donate when they die.

Q. Don't WeMatchDonors.com members accept organs from everyone but preferentially restrict their donation to fellow members?
A: WeMatchDonors.com members will give their organs to anyone, and they'll give them first to anyone who is willing to do the same for them.  Non-members can have members' organs if no fellow member who needs them is a suitable match.  The last thing we want is for our organs to go to waste.  By increasing the supply of organs WeMatchDonors.com benefits everyone, even non-members.  The administrators of the national organ allocation system defend the right to get an organ without agreeing to give one.  They should defend the rights of WeMatchDonors.com members even more vigorously because WeMatchDonors.com members have all agreed to donate their organs.

Q. Doesn't WeMatchDonors.com create a class of people that gets special consideration in organ allocation?
A. Yes, that is exactly what WeMatchDonors.com does.  It's a class that everyone in the United States can register with, and there is no cost to register with.  We welcome everyone, and we turn no one away.  Organ donors deserve special consideration in organ allocation because without organ donors there would be no organs to allocate.  The special consideration WeMatchDonors.com members get is given voluntarily (and legally) by other members, and it is given in exchange for a reciprocal promise.  Anyone who wants to share in this special consideration is welcome to do so.

Q. Isn't WeMatchDonors.com like agreeing to give organs to a class of people, such as a particular gender, religion, or ethic group?
A. No, WeMatchDonors.com is not like that at all.  WeMatchDonors.com does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical handicap, health status, marital status, or economic status.  Giving organs first to white people doesn't create more white people.  Giving organs first to women doesn't create more women.  Giving organs first to Italians doesn't create more Italians.  But giving organs first to organ donors creates more organ donors, and that saves lives.

Q. Some people can't donate their organs, so doesn't WeMatchDonors.com discriminate against them?
A. No.  Everyone who is willing to donate is welcome to register with WeMatchDonors.com, whether or not they think doctors will want to use their organs.

Q. How does WeMatchDonors.com match organs and recipients?
A. WeMatchDonors.com does not match organs and recipients.  This process is managed by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which operates the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network in the United States.  WeMatchDonors.com does not interfere with this process.  Our members just direct that each of their organs goes to the highest ranking qualified WeMatchDonors.com member on the UNOS waiting list.  

Q. Does WeMatchDonors.com maintain a waiting list of members needing organs?
A. UNOS maintains the national waiting list.  We maintain a list of WeMatchDonors.com members who are on the UNOS national waiting list.  If you are on the UNOS waiting list for an organ, let us know by sending an email to admin@WeMatchDonors.com.  You should also tell your doctors that you are a WeMatchDonors.com member, and ask them to make sure their records include this information.

Q. What is UNOS’ position on WeMatchDonors.com?
A. UNOS says “Our formal position is that UNOS does not endorse WeMatchDonors.com' approach.  However, UNOS does not intervene in directed donation if it is allowed by state law.”

Q. Is directed donation allowed by state law?
A. Yes.  The laws of all 50 states and the District of Columbia allow directed donation.  Most of these laws permit donation to "a designated individual" for transplantation.  WeMatchDonors.com members designate the individual they want to receive each of their organs, through language that is included in the WeMatchDonors.com membership agreement and shown on the WeMatchDonors.com donor card.  In the handful of states where donation to "a designated individual" is not permitted, WeMatchDonors.com members give their organs to their fellow members' surgeon or hospital, which is permitted.  According to UNOS, "Directed donation is allowed by state law (although some restrictions may apply in certain states) and is a legal alternative to OPTN/UNOS allocation policy. As such, directed donation requests are honored as long as the recipient is available and medically suitable to receive the donation."

Q. Is directed donation allowed by federal law?
A. Yes.  The 1999 "Final Rule" (42 CFR Part 121) governs operation of the national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.  Section 121.8 deals with organ allocation.  It includes the following language about directed donation: "Nothing in this section shall prohibit the allocation of an organ to a recipient named by those authorized to make the donation."

Q. What is UNOS' position on giving organ donors preferred access to donated organs?
A. The UNOS Ethics Committee issued a white paper on this subject in 1993.  The white paper is available here.