I've been an organ donor since I got my L's when I was 16. I could never understand why alot of people aren't on the register. I convinced my family to join up and apparently my dad used to give blood until he needed a transfusion once himself. Unfortunately, even though I'm signed up they can't use my organs now nor can I donate blood but I will loudly advocate for others to do so!
Well, my mother thinks that if she signs up and she winds up on the table they're going to not put any effort into saving her in order to sell her organs off to some rich person who wants them. So there's that.
But I think beyond that there's a bit of a lack of clarity about what exactly is needed. I think you can specify on your license, can't you? And I got a cardboard card when I was in highschool from somewhere that I carried in my wallet and specified I had the intent to donate... But to my understanding now, you need to get on the register that I signed up to, so that earlier card wasn't legit... one wonders why the hell they were handing them out at all. Had I been informed of the appropriate forms at a convenient time and place (say, when I was getting a license) I'd've done it a lot longer ago than now!
A few years ago there was an Australia wide campaign to encourage people to become organ donors. Every household was sent the forms and expected to fill it in and send it back. I think this was when the National Organ Donor registry was implemented by the federal government and it became a subsiduary to medicare much like the PBS safety net and family assistance is. Unfortunately in this country its not compulsory to be a donor it relies on people filling out forms to register your intent to do so. However your organs may not be harvested for some reasons dependant on your medical history, lifestyle etc. In this country it is less likely that your organs will be harvested for cash. That is normaly the case in poverty stricken third world countries where people feel they can survive on one kidney so they sell them to wealthy US business men so they can afford to send their kids to school or buy a house for their 14 generations of family. In other countries however it is compulsory to be a donor and you fill in forms to remove yourself
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I think by "compulsory" you mean "the default", yeah? I don't think it should be compulsory, but having it ad the default with an opt-out rather than opt-in policy would probably serve to normalize the idea a lot more
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But I think beyond that there's a bit of a lack of clarity about what exactly is needed. I think you can specify on your license, can't you? And I got a cardboard card when I was in highschool from somewhere that I carried in my wallet and specified I had the intent to donate... But to my understanding now, you need to get on the register that I signed up to, so that earlier card wasn't legit... one wonders why the hell they were handing them out at all. Had I been informed of the appropriate forms at a convenient time and place (say, when I was getting a license) I'd've done it a lot longer ago than now!
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