Join for free
Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 > Last »
JBR's Avatar
JBR
Chatterbox
JBR is offline
Cheshire, UK
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 32,785
JBR is male  JBR has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
29-09-2019, 10:42 PM
1

Organ transplants

Just heard on the news tonight that there are many patients with heart defects (including children) who have died this year due to a large number of potential donor hearts not being made available simply because relatives have refused to allow their removal from the cadaver of their loved one.

The person is dead, so has no need for their heart so why not use it to save someone else's life?

Of course, the government is considering making organ removal a legitimate act if the owner's relatives do not object. Unfortunately, many will continue to decline to the removal of their dead relative's organ so potential life-saving transplants will not take place.

The obvious solution to this selfish attitude is to maintain a register of those who have agreed to removal of organs when they die and, importantly, such an agreement may not be retracted afterwards.

Of course, no-one can be forced to sign such an undertaking, but the consequence of not agreeing would exempt them from receiving a donor organ if they themselves are in need.

This might sound harsh, but to deny someone life simply because you won't give up your organs when you die is even more harsh in my opinion.

How do others feel?
keezoy
Senior Member
keezoy is offline
Australia
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 3,579
keezoy is male  keezoy has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
29-09-2019, 10:50 PM
2

Re: Organ transplants

Governments could legislate to make it compulsory to donate organs. But it would be against the wishes of many people I would say. At best it would be a very divisive issue. Yes it would benefit some people who would otherwise die. But the perennial question is where do you draw the line. It's a similar argument to capital punishment, or abortion... with an entirely different subject of course. viz.."Yes but only in the most extreme circumstances"...that is the top of the slippery slope. Very difficult question.
Silver Tabby's Avatar
Silver Tabby
Chatterbox
Silver Tabby is offline
God's own county!
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 24,659
Silver Tabby is female  Silver Tabby has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
29-09-2019, 10:59 PM
3

Re: Organ transplants

I have opted to donate my remains to medical science - this automatically exempts me from either donating or receiving organs - and I am happy with that.

Would not like to see it made compulsory.
Mups's Avatar
Mups
Chatterbox
Mups is offline
Northamptonshire
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 46,083
Mups is female  Mups has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
29-09-2019, 11:06 PM
4

Re: Organ transplants

Originally Posted by keezoy ->
Governments could legislate to make it compulsory to donate organs. But it would be against the wishes of many people it would say. At best it would be a very divisive issue. Yes it would benefit some people who would otherwise die. But the perennial question is where do you draw the line. It's a similar argument to capital punishment, or abortion... with an entirely different subject of course. viz.."Yes but only in the most extreme circumstances"...that is the top of the slippery slope. Very difficult question.


I agree with Keezoy about where to draw the line.

I know you were talking about heart transplants JBR, but if it was became compulsory, where might it end?
You may not object to a heart donation, but how would you feel about other body parts being taken?

For example, think more long term that just today.
How would we feel about surgeons wanting to take your wife or child's genitals?
Or even more gruesome, what about removing a loved one's face or head, for experimental purposes?

It will happen in the future, would you feel equally generous about permitting that?
Artangel's Avatar
Artangel
Chatterbox
Artangel is offline
UK
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 21,097
Artangel is female  Artangel has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
29-09-2019, 11:18 PM
5

Re: Organ transplants

I thought something was coming in that, you had to specifically say you didn’t want to be an organ donor? Otherwise, they would automatically take them.
JBR's Avatar
JBR
Chatterbox
JBR is offline
Cheshire, UK
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 32,785
JBR is male  JBR has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
29-09-2019, 11:24 PM
6

Re: Organ transplants

Perhaps I have not explained myself very well.

The scheme I suggested would not make organ donation compulsory.

Everyone would have the choice whether or not to donate organs (any organs) upon their death. There would be no compulsion.

It would be a simple agreement: if you agree to donate organs from your body after death, in return you would qualify to receive donated organs if needed.

If your relatives later denied permission for your organs to be removed after you died, they personally would not qualify to receive donated organs themselves if in need.

I think this two-way agreement would be a perfectly fair arrangement.

In any event, why would anyone refuse to donate? Do you need all of your internal organs when you are dead?
Judd's Avatar
Judd
Chatterbox
Judd is offline
West Riding of Yorkshire
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 12,538
Judd is male  Judd has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
29-09-2019, 11:32 PM
7

Re: Organ transplants

On another thread it's been stated that there's too many people in the world and reducing the population may go some way to alleviating the world's problems.

Perhaps we should stop organ donation altogether and let nature take its course?
Artangel's Avatar
Artangel
Chatterbox
Artangel is offline
UK
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 21,097
Artangel is female  Artangel has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
29-09-2019, 11:36 PM
8

Re: Organ transplants

Originally Posted by JBR ->
Perhaps I have not explained myself very well.

The scheme I suggested would not make organ donation compulsory.

Everyone would have the choice whether or not to donate organs (any organs) upon their death. There would be no compulsion.

It would be a simple agreement: if you agree to donate organs from your body after death, in return you would qualify to receive donated organs if needed.

If your relatives later denied permission for your organs to be removed after you died, they personally would not qualify to receive donated organs themselves if in need.

I think this two-way agreement would be a perfectly fair arrangement.

In any event, why would anyone refuse to donate? Do you need all of your internal organs when you are dead?
At the age many of us are now, would our organs be of a suitable quality?
Mups's Avatar
Mups
Chatterbox
Mups is offline
Northamptonshire
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 46,083
Mups is female  Mups has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
29-09-2019, 11:47 PM
9

Re: Organ transplants

Originally Posted by Artangel ->
At the age many of us are now, would our organs be of a suitable quality?


That's a thought, Art.
Who'd want our old bits and bobs.
Mups's Avatar
Mups
Chatterbox
Mups is offline
Northamptonshire
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 46,083
Mups is female  Mups has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
29-09-2019, 11:51 PM
10

Re: Organ transplants

Originally Posted by Judd ->
On another thread it's been stated that there's too many people in the world and reducing the population may go some way to alleviating the world's problems.

Perhaps we should stop organ donation altogether and let nature take its course?


Yes, that's another way of looking at it, Judd.

I have often thought when I hear the government complaining about how much oldies cost them to care for, that it is them and their scientists who have created our longevity in the first place! Then they moan because there are too many pensioners.
 
Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 > Last »

Thread Tools


© Copyright 2009, Over50sForum   Contact Us | Over 50s Forum! | Archive | Privacy Statement | Terms of Use | Top

Powered by vBulletin Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.