Post by esmemcgill on Dec 3, 2014 21:22:45 GMT
Should Organ Donation be Compulsory?
Esme McGill
Organ donation is the transplantation of an organ from a willing donor to a person in need of an organ replacement. If in need, I doubt many people would decline the offer of receiving a new organ which could save their life - so why is it people are so hesitant to sign up and donate themselves? Shockingly, only 41% people in Scotland are currently on the organ donor register. Considering three people in Scotland die everyday whilst waiting on a transplant and the fact that there is currently 550 people with life threatening illnesses on the transplantation waiting list, this percentage is frighteningly low. Compulsory organ donation could vastly improve this statistic by simply taking organs from people who no longer have any use for them and giving life to others who are in need.
If you were to tragically pass away, would you not want the ability to improve and possibly even save somebody else's life? By donating your organs, you could. They are, after all, no longer of any use to you. Think about how selfish it would be to be cremated or buried whilst still containing you're perfectly healthy organs; allowing them to rot away when they could provide life. Think about how much it would mean to them and their families but also you're family: how healing it would be to know part of you was helping another person. Or if it was you in the position of desperately needing an organ transplant or a family member you would be so incredibly thankful for the donors, so why not become one?
An argument against compulsory donation is many people feel as though they should have the final decision about what happens to their organs after they pass away and fair enough, so they should. Of course the rights to your body remain intact, even if you're no longer inhabiting it. Nobody can force you donate you're organs or even take them from you. You can opt out.
There are a lot of dangerous misconceptions surrounding organ donation and these often prevent people from donating. When picturing the place of organ removal, many people picture a filthy, cramped and most likely blood splattered room, similar to the setting of a horror film. This graphic image could not be further from the sterile setting of the operating theatre. Another ridiculously delusional idea surrounding organ donation is that the body is going to be violently slashed and sliced to pieces and their organs flogged about the place. This is also obviously false. The surgeons that carry out the operations are medical professionals and treat the donor's bodies with the same care and respect as they would have if the donor had been alive. Following the operation, the body is cleaned up and returned to a state fit for viewing.
You can donate organs whilst still alive. In most cases, the living donors are fit and healthy and can donate one of their organs without it drastically reducing their quality of life. Compulsory organ donation is obviously not a possible course of action for the living but if it became more common more people may be encourage to donate whenever possible.
Encouraging people to donate is a challenging task as not only do people not know a lot of information about organ donation or organ transplantation but majority of the information they do know is false. This is alarming and should be resolved. More adverts are being released about organ donation however there is still a lack in information being given about the actual process. I believe that presentations being given in high schools and colleges would be a good idea and aid the spreading of accurate information and the positive stories that accompany transplantation. Informing teenagers and the younger generation is also a good idea as sadly it is not just older people who need transplants.
Maggie's world was shattered when her son six year old son Dilan died after a road accident. As she and her husband came to terms with the fact that their son may not survive, they began to consider organ donation and how it reflected Dilan's caring nature and his drive to help people. Dilan's heart was used to save a five year old boy from London's life. Maggie received a card from the little boy: "It made me really happy to get that card. There was nothing we could have done to save Dilan's life, but it's really rewarding to know he helped some other little lad to live. I find a lot of comfort in knowing that if Dilan was not to have a full life, then at least another little boy will have the chance." This is but one example of transplantation where the transplant has brought comfort to the family and eased their hurt slightly.
Primarily, organ donation is about saving lives. But, organ transplantation is arguably one of the best advances in medicinal science and the more transplants surgeons carry out the more they are learning about the human body and it's reactions; this improves not only their skills but their confidence also. Theoretically, in the future this could lead to more adventurous surgical ventures and complex operations with a lower risk of infection or disease as doctors and surgeons would be educated and equipped with a keen set of skills to deal with these problems and prevent them from arising. Compulsory organ donation would increase the number of operations and lower the chance of error.
Personally, I believe that organ donation there should be no hesitation when it comes to making it compulsory or even just signing up for it. Imagine being given the opportunity to save someone's life and saying no? Deciding instead to let you're organs disintegrate until they're of no use to anybody. Medical professional treat every body they come into contact with delicately and with the utmost care. Publicising the facts of organ transplantation rather than paying attention to the grotesque stories that are speculated about could really make a huge difference in the number of donors and therefore the number of transplant survivors. Compulsory organ donation would ensure that organs would not be in short supply and people would not die dreaming of the organ's that could save their lives.
Word Count:
1046
Source List:
www.organdonationscotland.org/
www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Organ-donation/Pages/Maggiesstory.aspx
www.organdonation.nhs.uk/
www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/organ-donation-facts
www.giveandletlive.co.uk/en/Donation/organ/index.html
www.itv.com/news/2013-02-11/the-facts-and-figures-and-myths-and-legends-of-organ-donation/
www.organdonorinfo.com/
Esme McGill
Organ donation is the transplantation of an organ from a willing donor to a person in need of an organ replacement. If in need, I doubt many people would decline the offer of receiving a new organ which could save their life - so why is it people are so hesitant to sign up and donate themselves? Shockingly, only 41% people in Scotland are currently on the organ donor register. Considering three people in Scotland die everyday whilst waiting on a transplant and the fact that there is currently 550 people with life threatening illnesses on the transplantation waiting list, this percentage is frighteningly low. Compulsory organ donation could vastly improve this statistic by simply taking organs from people who no longer have any use for them and giving life to others who are in need.
If you were to tragically pass away, would you not want the ability to improve and possibly even save somebody else's life? By donating your organs, you could. They are, after all, no longer of any use to you. Think about how selfish it would be to be cremated or buried whilst still containing you're perfectly healthy organs; allowing them to rot away when they could provide life. Think about how much it would mean to them and their families but also you're family: how healing it would be to know part of you was helping another person. Or if it was you in the position of desperately needing an organ transplant or a family member you would be so incredibly thankful for the donors, so why not become one?
An argument against compulsory donation is many people feel as though they should have the final decision about what happens to their organs after they pass away and fair enough, so they should. Of course the rights to your body remain intact, even if you're no longer inhabiting it. Nobody can force you donate you're organs or even take them from you. You can opt out.
There are a lot of dangerous misconceptions surrounding organ donation and these often prevent people from donating. When picturing the place of organ removal, many people picture a filthy, cramped and most likely blood splattered room, similar to the setting of a horror film. This graphic image could not be further from the sterile setting of the operating theatre. Another ridiculously delusional idea surrounding organ donation is that the body is going to be violently slashed and sliced to pieces and their organs flogged about the place. This is also obviously false. The surgeons that carry out the operations are medical professionals and treat the donor's bodies with the same care and respect as they would have if the donor had been alive. Following the operation, the body is cleaned up and returned to a state fit for viewing.
You can donate organs whilst still alive. In most cases, the living donors are fit and healthy and can donate one of their organs without it drastically reducing their quality of life. Compulsory organ donation is obviously not a possible course of action for the living but if it became more common more people may be encourage to donate whenever possible.
Encouraging people to donate is a challenging task as not only do people not know a lot of information about organ donation or organ transplantation but majority of the information they do know is false. This is alarming and should be resolved. More adverts are being released about organ donation however there is still a lack in information being given about the actual process. I believe that presentations being given in high schools and colleges would be a good idea and aid the spreading of accurate information and the positive stories that accompany transplantation. Informing teenagers and the younger generation is also a good idea as sadly it is not just older people who need transplants.
Maggie's world was shattered when her son six year old son Dilan died after a road accident. As she and her husband came to terms with the fact that their son may not survive, they began to consider organ donation and how it reflected Dilan's caring nature and his drive to help people. Dilan's heart was used to save a five year old boy from London's life. Maggie received a card from the little boy: "It made me really happy to get that card. There was nothing we could have done to save Dilan's life, but it's really rewarding to know he helped some other little lad to live. I find a lot of comfort in knowing that if Dilan was not to have a full life, then at least another little boy will have the chance." This is but one example of transplantation where the transplant has brought comfort to the family and eased their hurt slightly.
Primarily, organ donation is about saving lives. But, organ transplantation is arguably one of the best advances in medicinal science and the more transplants surgeons carry out the more they are learning about the human body and it's reactions; this improves not only their skills but their confidence also. Theoretically, in the future this could lead to more adventurous surgical ventures and complex operations with a lower risk of infection or disease as doctors and surgeons would be educated and equipped with a keen set of skills to deal with these problems and prevent them from arising. Compulsory organ donation would increase the number of operations and lower the chance of error.
Personally, I believe that organ donation there should be no hesitation when it comes to making it compulsory or even just signing up for it. Imagine being given the opportunity to save someone's life and saying no? Deciding instead to let you're organs disintegrate until they're of no use to anybody. Medical professional treat every body they come into contact with delicately and with the utmost care. Publicising the facts of organ transplantation rather than paying attention to the grotesque stories that are speculated about could really make a huge difference in the number of donors and therefore the number of transplant survivors. Compulsory organ donation would ensure that organs would not be in short supply and people would not die dreaming of the organ's that could save their lives.
Word Count:
1046
Source List:
www.organdonationscotland.org/
www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Organ-donation/Pages/Maggiesstory.aspx
www.organdonation.nhs.uk/
www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/organ-donation-facts
www.giveandletlive.co.uk/en/Donation/organ/index.html
www.itv.com/news/2013-02-11/the-facts-and-figures-and-myths-and-legends-of-organ-donation/
www.organdonorinfo.com/