Organ Donation Policies

With the wait times to receive an organ for transplant not improving maybe it is time to start rethinking the laws governing this process.  In the United States 8 people die every day while waiting to get an organ.  The problem is systemic.  The donor organs are out there but because of the bureaucracy they just aren't making it to the patients that need them.  At least not at the rate that is required.

One change that might be worth considering is changing the system to one where you have to opt out as opposed to opt in to the organ donation program.  Many people  can't be bothered or just don't think about registering as an organ donor.  This one change would add a huge number people to the donor list.  This system is in place in a few countries around the world so there is no reason we couldn't do the same.  You're in unless you say otherwise.  Nothing could be easier to add millions of potential organ donors to the list.

Patients waiting for a kidney are on the longest wait list of all.  I can't imagine the fear and anxiety of not knowing if you will live long enough to get that life saving organ.  Not to mention the pain and discomfort of dialysis.  As a society we should be ashamed that we allow this kind of suffering to continue when there are things we could and should do to end it.

We all have two kidneys and only one is needed to live a normal healthy life.  This means that any of us could be a willing living donor of one of our kidneys if the laws  were to allow it.  But they don't unless you are relative of the recipient.  There are many people out there that would be willing kidney donors if allowed, some for altruistic reasons and others for money.  Neither reason is acceptable under our current laws.  But why not?  Everyone else in the process is in it for a profit.  The doctors and hospitals certainly aren't in it just for humanitarian purposes so what is so wrong with the donor being able to receive some compensation for such a very large sacrifice?  

Of course some kind of screening process would need to be in place to make sure that these donors were not in some way being taken advantage of.  It would not be acceptable to have the vulnerable among us be coerced into something that was not truly in everyones best interest.  Potential donors would have to be interviewed by a panel of medical staff to make sure they meet the established guidelines for donation.  Doesn't seem too complicated to me.

These few changes alone would go a long way to helping all those in desperate need now and in the future for a life saving organ transplant.  And I am sure there are many other changes we could come up with that could also help in some significant way.  It is time we did something to help this situation when there are so many suffering needlessly.  It doesn't have to be this way.