Organ donation is a weighty and complex decision. On the pro side, donated organs save lives. On the con side, the organ donation process is involved, and rife with misconception. A thorough understanding of the pros and cons of these procedures is crucial for families and individuals seeking to make informed choices.
The Facts
Organ donation comprises four types: living donations, wherein donors can donate kidneys and parts of vital organs such as the liver and pancreas; donation following brain death; donation after cardiac death, or DCD; and whole body donation. The United Network for Organ Sharing, UNOS, matches organs with recipients via the National Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, or OPTN. This system procures donor organs nationally, an unmistakable pro. The con is time. Hearts and lungs can only be preserved safely for four to six hours, leaving almost no time for organ procurement administrators to properly complete this sensitive task with grieving donor families, notes the National Kidney Foundation.
Significance
U.S. donors must indicate their willingness to participate on a driver's license or donor card, which offers donors control over their final wishes. The con is next-of-kin must still consent at the time of death. It is imperative, therefore, for a donor to make his family aware of his choice. Of the 12,000 people who die each year meeting organ donation criteria, less than half become donors, according to the Kidney Foundation, because next-of-kin are unclear of their loved one's final wishes.
In living donation, results tend to be better, since the organs have not been artificially maintained. Living donors give family and friends the gift of life, a clear pro. Cons for living donors include medical expenses not covered by the organ recipient's insurance, and future insurability problems. Accordingly, living donation has decreased since 2005, according to an article in "NewsRX Health & Science."
Misconceptions
The commitment to public education spearheaded by organizations such as UNOS and the Institute of Medicine Committee on Increasing Organ Donation is a pro. Institute member Mary Ann Baily believes one serious con is public misconception. Many Americans worry that signing a donor card makes emergency room physicians give up on them prematurely; absolutely untrue, yet this misinformation persists, and may sway potential donors to opt-out, according to a report in "The New York Times."
Ethical Concerns
Financial incentives for living donation have been proposed to address donor organ shortfall. While the obvious pro is a wider donor pool, the equally obvious con is that such incentives might engender abuse. In other countries, organ tourism--patients seeking cheap and accessible transplants from living donors--has created a black market that preys on the underprivileged. For instance, Al Jazeera has reported that Pakistan passed a law limiting transplants only to close relatives to protect poor people from possible exploitation.
Prevention/Solution
Presumed consent--everyone is a donor unless they sign a refusal form--has recently been floated to boost organ donation. On the pro side, presumed consent expands the group of eligible donors. On the con side, detractors see this policy as aggressive, and fear it will drive potential donors away. (see Reference 4)
The one inviolate pro of organ donation remains the gift of life. The con is the complex and expensive organ donation process. Many experts believe the best use of resources may not be on generating more donors, but on curing the causes of organ failure. (see Reference 4) Lifestyle and food choices, exercise, and self-care go a long way to maintaining healthy organs for life.
References
- "National Kidney Foundation": 25 Facts About Organ Donation and Transplantation
- "EurekAlert": New Organ Preservation Solution Easier to Use
- "NewsRx Health & Science"; Success Rates for Organ Transplants are Increasing, but Organ Donations are Decreasing, Study Shows; Andrew S. Klein, M.D.; April 2010
- "New York Times": Should Laws Push for Organ Donation?
- "Al Jazeera": Pakistan Targets Illegal Organ Trade
