Organ donation myths have been around for a long time. These types of myths have stopped people from being organ donors as well as stopping families from letting there loved one receive a needed organ transplant. These myths are one of the main reasons for the organ shortage in the United States today. While some people decide to save another humans life some do not because of these myths surrounding organ donation. One person has the opportunity to save up to fifty lives just by deciding to be an organ donor and doing so would help with the organ shortage in the United States.
One myth that stops somebody from being an organ donor is the belief that the family will be charged extra too allow their loved one to be an organ donor (Steve
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The procedure that most hospitals use to determine to use people as organ donors is from someone that is declared brain dead (D'Alessandro). Most hospitals do not actually use organs from people that have died from sudden cardiac death because the organs are not a vital as from a patient that has been declared brain dead ( (D'Alessandro). A patient is considered brain dead when their brain function has quit working permanently and the term brain dead is the legal term that is used for someone that is dead (Congressman Jim McDermott). Families are educated when being told that their loved one is brain dead and that the machines the hear and see are they only thing that is working, that it is not actually their loved one breathing that they hear and see (Nancy Valko).The mention of organ donation usually does not even occur until it has been determined by the medical team that the patient is brain dead and the discussion with the family to end life support has been done with the family by the physician ( (D'Alessandro). A third myth is that some people that are organ donors will not be able to view their family and friends in an open casket funeral (Steve Rudich). People that believe this want to be able too see their loved one at the funeral and be able to mourn and give a proper good-bye but fear of their loved one being mutilated and not
Since that time donation has been the only way to increase the current supply of transplantable organs. Some people are uncomfortable with the idea of organ donation due to misconceptions and lack of knowledge. In fact, organ transplant recipient Dr. Phil H. Berry, Jr. points out that there would be less deaths of people waiting for transplants, “if Americans would overcome their reluctance to become organ donors” (29). Organ donation whether it is upon your death or giving a part of a liver or one kidney while you are alive is a charitable gesture towards your fellow man and could give meaning to the end of your life. The mere act of donating could bring more peace to your loved ones at the time of your death and as a result, you could give
According to United Network for Organ Sharing (2010) organ donations and transplantation are the removal of organs and tissues from one person and placed into another person’s body. The need for organ transplantation usually occurs when the recipient organ has failed (UNOS, 2010). Organ donation can save the lives of many individuals who are on the waiting list for an organ donation. Becoming an organ donor can be a difficult decision. Many people have the false beliefs about being an organ donor. An example would be if organ donor is on their driver’s license and a person is in a life-threatening accident everything will not be done to save their life. There is an increase need for organ donors and unfortunately the need for organ
Please try and consider the following situation. You’re sitting in an emergency room, waiting for your dad to awake after falling into liver failure, costing him to need a new liver. Not knowing if it’s possible, crossing your fingers. You wish you could help, but you can’t. Someone else can. An organ donor. According to organdonor.gov, about 116,000 U.S. citizens are waiting on the organ transplant list as of August 2017. To put that number into perspective, that’s more than double the amount of people that can fit into Yankee Stadium. And to make matters worse, 20 people each day die waiting for a transplant.(organdonor.gov) Organ donation can offer patients a second chance at life and provides
2. There are many myths about becoming an organ donor, but here are just a few:
Maybe I won’t really be dead when they sign the death certificate: People who are organ donors are actually given more tests to determine that the patient is truly dead than they would give to those who are not organ donors.
Organ donations not only save lives but also money and time. If organ donations became prevalent the organ recipient would no longer need dialysis. Since there is no need for dialysis the cost to use the machine would lessen; this means that the cost of equipment would decrease, saving the hospital and insurance company’s money. More lives would be saved as well as benefit from those that no longer need an organ. In the book titled “Elements of Bioethics” adult organ transplants are only that have medical insurance. If organs are taken from recently deceased the cost for those that has no medical coverage was lessen. The process of organ transplantation is life changing and time is crucial. With shorter waiting time it would put ease on the person’s heart to know that this lifesaving event would happen sooner rather than later. In addition, when the organ is taken from the recently deceased the risk would be eliminated from
“6,935 people are dying because they had to wait. That’s 19 people dying per day for an entire year”(Barry). That’s nearly 7,000 lives; which is equivalent to to almost 25% of the current undergraduate body here at UW-Madison. According to Dr. Chris Barry, a transplant surgeon and researcher at the University of Rochester Medical Center, “19 people die per day on the organ donor recipient list because there aren’t enough people signing their organ donor consent forms”. He proposes that we need to increase people's knowledge and tear down the myths and barriers of organ donation to facilitate their decision to donate.
With people making important decisions about their body every day the subject of organ donation becomes increasingly important. For years, the topic has been the source of many controversial debates regarding its ethical and moral ideations. Organ donation should remain voluntary for several reasons: first and foremost it is still considered a donation. Next, patients and their families should have the right to say no to medical procedures. And, lastly, bodily autonomy should be respected by healthcare professionals. Many argue, however, that organ donation should be mandatory as to decrease not only the time spent on an organ donation list but also the risks of mortality while waiting for a new organ. Families often have the final say in
Every day, 20 people die because they are unable to receive a vital organ transplant that they need to survive. Some of these people are on organ donation lists and some of them are not. The poor and minorities are disproportionately represented among those who do not receive the organs they need. In the United States alone, nearly 116,000 people are on waiting lists for vital organ transplants. Another name is added to this list every 10 minutes. This paper will argue that organ donation should not be optional. Every person who dies, or enters an irreversible vegetative state with little or no brain function, should have his or her organs-more specifically, those among the organs that are suitable for donation-harvested. A single healthy donor who has died can save up to eight lives (American Transplant Foundation).
There is no cost to donors or their families for organ or tissue donation. It's illegal to pay someone for an organ.
Main Point 2: Myths, we have all heard some, we have all believed some. But right now, I am going to set the record straight about some of the misconceptions surrounding organ donation. Organdonor.gov will tell you about many facts and myths about organ donation. So let’s start with money. I’m sure you have all heard that when a someone donates their organs, their family has to foot the bill for all it. That is completely false. There is no cost to donors or their families for organ or tissue donation. Hence the word “donation”. The donor won’t be able to have
Every thirty minutes someone gets added to the waiting list for an organ transplant (‘Frequently Asked Questions”). Not only that, but the number of patients being added to the waiting list is growing larger than the number of donors (“Organ Donation Statistics”). Many people are in the need of some kind of organ donation, so anyone who donates can help to save many lives. Organ donation is also such a great way to give back to people. Another thing is that to donate an organ a person does not have to pay money (“Organ Donation FAQ’s”). The only part that costs money is for the funeral if they are a deceased donor (“Organ Donation FAQ’s”).
If somebody is brain dead they can donate their heart, intestines, kidneys, liver, lungs, and pancreas. If somebody dies from a different cause they will most likely be able to donate their tissues. After death people can donate their bones, cartilage, corneas, fascia, heart valves, ligaments, pericardium, skin, tendons, and veins (What can be donated). “People can recover from comas, but not brain death. Coma and brain death are not the same. Brain death is final” (Learn the Facts). Many people worry that their loved one is in a coma and not brain dead, or that their brain will start functioning at any second. It can be hard to accept brain death.
“Organ donation is not a tragedy, but it can be a beautiful light, in the midst of one” (Unknown). There has been many disbeliefs about donating your organs over the years. The organ demand drastically exceeds the available supply, which is why more people need to be organ donors. People should become organ donors because of the limited availability of organs and the chance to save many lives.
About seventy-Four people a day receive an organ transplant, however an average of seventeen people die each day waiting for transplants. Did you know that more than 88,000 men, women and children currently await life-saving transplants? Every 12 minutes another name is added to the national transplant waiting list. Of those 88,000 waiting, 61,000 of them are waiting for a kidney. How many of you reading this are organ donors? I use to feel that I didn't want a doctor taking anything from me after I have passed, even knowing that two of my family members, an uncle and cousin, had severe kidney disease. It wasn't until after they had passed away that I really thought seriously about organ donation. I'm not proud of my prior