Harvested heart ready for donation
Organ donation, like blood donation, is something that always seemed perfectly logical to me. So, when I was younger I signed up to be both a blood donor and have donated a few times (shamefully, I really should donate more), as well as an organ donor. By these small donations, I have a chance to save people’s lives. With blood donation all it took was a small prick of a needle and half an hour of my time, organ donation will be even less of an inconvenience if my organs are ever used.
Given my view on both blood and organ donation, I was obviously shocked at the appalling statistics in regards to donation. Only 4% of the population are blood donors, with probably an even smaller percentage regularly giving blood. Furthermore, only 29% of us are on the organ donors list. Each day, 3 people on the waiting list for organs die due to a shortage of organs. These statistics reflect that the NHS is under huge pressure due to a lack of tissue resources, which could be easily provided if we were only to sign a form to donate our organs or blood.
A key question that arises is: why are people not signing up to be blood donors or organ donors? With blood donors there are policy problems such as homosexuals being unable to donate (this policy is currently being reviewed) as well as the restrictions of those who have received blood already (for good medical reason) or have other medical reasons to be ineligible for donating. Similar restrictions and problems occur with organ donation, as the organs obviously have to be in good condition to be viable. However, this still only rules out a small percentage of the population from donating.
Some people become uneasy with the idea of donating their organs. However, I propose the question of ‘what value are your organs to you after you have died?’. Simple answer is none. Once we are dead, our bodies are of little use to us, and will merely decompose. Why not let part of you live on in someone else, helping to extend and improve their life? I have heard an argument from some Christians who do not want to donate due to their body needing to be intact for the second coming of Jesus. Revelations predicts the dead will rise in a zombie/skeletal apocalypse on the second coming of Jesus. If anything, having donated your organs should be bonus points at judgement time. Muslims too have qualms over donation due to the sanctity of the body, though again surely donation is not a misuse of one’s body? Besides that, I believe a lot of it is sheer laziness and apathy. People cannot be bothered filling in the one page to become an organ donor.
The current NHS donor card
The biggest problem perhaps in the NHS in regards to the organ donation shortage is the policy. Currently there is an ‘opt-in’ system, meaning to become a donor you have to actively sign up. However, I and many people before me propose that there is a better policy, namely an ‘opt-out’ policy. An opt-out policy is one in which consent is assumed, unless the person explicitly signs a form to remove consent. There are two forms of the policy; the ‘soft’ approach in which the relatives can have a say if consent has not been withdrawn and the ‘hard’ approach in which the relatives have no say.
The advantages of an opt-out policy are numerous. Firstly, since many people are not organ donors due to apathy or laziness, organ donations would significantly increase. Secondly, it takes the burden off relatives to make a decision when they are beginning the stages of grieving. Another advantage is that such a system is already in effect in a quite a few countries, namely Spain, Belgium, France, Italy and Austria. All of these countries have significantly higher donation rates than the UK, with Spain having the greatest proportion of organ donors per capita in the world.
Obviously, as with any system, there are downfalls. If a hard approach was taken then there could be concerns that unsuitable donors could be used; the relatives are often questioned about the general health before the organs are harvested to make sure they are suitable. Furthermore, Norway, despite having an opt-out system, has low organ donation rates. This may be due to cultural attitudes to organ donation and would suggest that the UK could face the same problem if an opt-out system was implemented.
Lastly, to implement an opt-out policy, the general public would need to be notified of the changes to the legislation. This way, anyone who is strongly opposed to donation could apply to opt-out. To raise public awareness may cost a few million, but it will have the potential to save many lives throughout the UK.
Comments