Why you should say no to being an organ donor

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Church teaching is clear:

2296 Organ transplants are in conformity with the moral law if the physical and psychological dangers and risks to the donor are proportionate to the good sought for the recipient. Organ donation after death is a noble and meritorious act and is to be encouraged as a expression of generous solidarity. It is not morally acceptable if the donor or his proxy has not given explicit consent. Moreover, it is not morally admissible to bring about the disabling mutilation or death of a human being, even in order to delay the death of other persons.

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2296.htm

As I watch dear friends, and my spouse, die early from heart disease, progress toward certain death, I thank God every day for the grieving families who give the ultimate gift.

I would suggest people visit https://unos.org/ and not rely on bloggers.
 
13pollitos said:
there is absolutely no way I would ever agree to donate the organs of my children or other family members.
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And this is why everyone needs to have their wishes IN WRITING. Just saying “Oh, my family knows what I want” won’t have any effect at all if you want to be a donor, and you have family members who oppose donation.
 
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This is something medical professionals continue to debate among themselves.
 
I think everyone agrees that, say, corneas from a cadaver are okay, presuming the person consented to it prior to their death.

And everyone agrees that someone waking up in a bathtub of ice with their kidneys missing is wrong.

But there’s the question of all that in-between time, because death is a process. And the further along you get with that process, the fewer and fewer resources can be harvested…

I have a friend who died in a motorcycle accident. He was kept on life support until his organs could be harvested, but his brain had been destroyed in the accident. I think his body was ultimately able to help 14? 16? extra people.

But people’s deaths aren’t normally so quick and violent and predictable… a lot of us end up in a slow slide. And that’s the part that makes a lot of people uncomfortable… because we also know people who began the slow slide, but then ended up recovering and having years more to their lives. Other people begin the slow slide, and linger around for weeks or months.

So that’s why there’s debate about it…
 
I am not opposed to being an organ donor by ideology.
Catholicism encourage organ transplantation.

France is known for his high bioethical reflexion, contrary to some others (such as anglo saxon countries, to not pointed them directly). Organ transplantation is mostly from death people, free, anomymous, and nobody paid or is paid for.
Yet, my country had recent laws that made me more than sceptical for myself (and my family).

At least 2 issues:
  • the new protocol of “Maastrich III” as a way to find more donors. the people have their organ harvested following a controlled cardiac arrest, which basically means that they are in reamination but the medical processus have been stopped deliberately because of poorlife prognostic and not because of an impossibility of maintain the patient alive.
    This issue is highly contested and debated for pro-life Catholics and bioethical expert. The question of conflit of interested between the dying or brained injured donor and others parts (the potential recipients) can be real.
  • the recent law which established the presumed consent of donor over the decision of his family, if he does not write his opposition when he was alive in the national register designed for people who don’t want to give their organs.
I will add a third issue, which is still experimental, but would likely increase in the future.
  • we cannot know what organ would be harvest. Non vital organs harvesting is developping. It is not an issue as long as they don’t be a nuisance to the harvesting of vital organs.
    Yet for uterus transplant, experts warn the public opinion, that this harvesting on death people is very complex and can be done at the detriment of vital organs harvesting. it is a serious issue.
  • I can add that any transplant of reproductive organs (uterus, ovary) is immoral, from a Catholic perspective. (after an transplant uterus, the protocol for reproduction is IVF with beforehand frozen embryos).
 
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You are correct and it goes both ways. Unless it is on writing, if you oppose donation, nothing can stop your family from donating your organs if they choose to.

I am still in favor of donating my own organs. It is written and documented. I refuse to make that call for my loved ones.
 
angel12 said:
And this is why everyone needs to have their wishes IN WRITING. Just saying “Oh, my family knows what I want” won’t have any effect at all if you want to be a donor, and you have family members who oppose donation.
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I agree that it should be.
But in reality, it is not as simple as that.
Very few people inscripted themselves as non donors.
But many family refuse harvesting of organs.
And I am sure some are harvest wheareas them would opposed…

It is hard to make a decision for ourselves. It is hard to speak of it with family members. very few people do it, as poll exposed it! It is hard to tale this decision for our dying family member.

For myself, I struggle to take a decision. I am inclined to say no because of the news conditions, but don’t come out, because it is egoistic. for my children, i would be inclined to say no, too. For my husband, the same, but as is favor transplantation, I would probably say yes, if i can be assure that the process is ethic and what organs is harvest…
 
13pollitos said:
Brain dead is not the only reason organs are harvested. This article is about donation after cardiac death, or D.C.D.
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I don’t include this in my presentation , but it is also something that I find very serious!
We should be sure that the people are really dead (=brain dead) by doing the appropriate exams, and not rely only on cardiac arrest, as a way to find more donors.

charity is a virtue, vampirism and make people die to met the need of others should be criminal.
 
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JimG said:
There will never be enough organs to fill the transplant need. But when a heart is removed from someone for transplant purposes, the cause of death for the donor is the removal of his heart. A dead organ is of no use to anyone.
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It depend of the definition of death.
  • If death is the traditional one, which is cardiac arest, yes, you are right.
  • If death is define as the permanent end of brain activity and the destruction of brain cells, even when the apparent vital function is maintained artificially, no theses people are dead.
The Church seems to no longer have difficulties with this second definition, because She would have opposed organ transplantation otherwise.
 

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I oppose organ donation too, but for a more practical reason. There is a lot of money being made for every one of these but my estate isn’t supposed to get any remuneration beyond not being charged for the actual donation procedure? How about taking care of my medical bills before the point of being declared dead? Same as with my DNA, that’s my data, shouldn’t I get compensated for contributing it? This may sound selfish, but look at it from the doctors’ and hospitals’ points of view, they are making huge money off transplantation surgeries, have you seen the bills they submit and the settlements they get? Shouldn’t my estate get a cut? Everyone that’s doing the work gets a piece of the action, but my estate from which nothing happens unless I gave my permission gets left out? At least take care of my medical bills prior to that point of no return. My heirs might appreciate actually having something left given today’s predatory pricing practices.
 
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