Organ donation after death: thoughts and experiences?

Susan Gonzalez4 said:They probably do ask, but honestly, if I don't need it anymore, what's really the point of asking? 🙄 It's better to just let them help someone who actually needs it.

But seriously, they always check with the family, no exceptions. No sane person—whether you're looking at an individual or a major hospital like Mayo Clinic—is going to risk getting dragged through the news for performing an organ retrieval without talking to the family first, regardless of what the legal rights say.

So, regarding organ donation... I’ve been meaning to write something about this for quite a while, but I just haven't found the time until now.
In America (from what I understand), we basically operate under an assumed consent model. This means that after we pass away, it's presumed we've given permission for our organs to be donated to those in need.

If we want to, we can request a donor card, which serves as our official way to confirm that we are indeed donors.

Now, let me be clear: I fully intended to donate my organs after I pass, but I wanted it to be MY choice!
I find it hard to believe that it's essentially imposed on us, where the only way to opt-out is by filing a specific statement saying we don't want to participate.

Is that really how it works!? And why would they do it that way? Is it to make us feel guilty if, say, we decide we don't want to donate?

Honestly, once I realized that's the setup, I don't even want to donate my organs anymore.

p.s.-
If there's already a thread going on this topic, please feel free to move this post over there...

Michael Perez said:I can't believe this is being forced on us—that the only way to opt out of organ donation is to explicitly file a statement saying I don't want to participate.

Is that actually legal!? And why on earth would they set it up like that?

They explained to us that it follows some sort of European model (which is probably why their transplant rates are so high over there)... basically, anyone's organs can be harvested after death without even bothering to ask the family first. To me, that feels... how should I put this... incredibly sketchy.

It would make way more sense if you had to sign up specifically because you *want* to donate, rather than having to actively refuse.

Plus, we were told that doctors usually check with the family first, but we've all read those stories where families find out only after the fact. Since most people don't understand how the system works, it just leaves them in total shock.

Personally, though, if I kick the bucket... I wouldn't care one bit whether they take my organs or not. Donating can save several lives once one has already been extinguished... no harm done. 🙂

From what I gather—and Vojky was trying to explain it earlier—that’s just how the old law used to function.

Nobody asked you, and nobody cares if you even exist.

www.hdm.hr

That’s all well and good... honestly, I don't really care what happens to me after I pass away. But shouldn't that be my call to make in the first place?

here: .

You wouldn't even be asked in countries like these:

Sweden
Austria
Belgium
Spain
Italy
Canada
Canada
Finland
France
Luxembourg
Norway
Greece
Portugal

Even in most European nations that follow an "opt-out" system, there's still a standard social custom where they actually check with the immediate family of the deceased before proceeding with organ harvesting for transplants.

Michael Perez5:
Whatever... look, I don't care what they do with my body once I'm dead. Seriously, do whatever you want. But shouldn't that be my call in the first place?

Look, basically even here in the States, doctors will ask the family for permission—basically checking if there’s an explicit objection to donation. But seriously, the law doesn't forbid taking organs at all if brain death has been declared. That's how it works in most places across the globe... and honestly, why wouldn't it be that way? Maybe because saving a living person's life just carries more weight than preserving the physical integrity of someone who's already gone?😉

Michael Perez said:Is this even real!? And why would they do this? Are they trying to guilt-trip us into donating organs or something?

Honestly, once I realized how this works, I’m officially out—no more organ donation for me after I kick the bucket.

p.s.-
If there's already a thread going about this, feel free to move my post over there...

From what I understand, the law technically allows them to just take organs "just like that," but they don't actually do that in practice—it still comes down to your call.

If we’re all registered as organ donors by default anyway... it's f*cked 😁

I really shouldn't have to go out of my way just to declare that I want to donate 😬

I know, I know... I'm such a lazy bum 🙄 😁

I've had my donor card since way back in 2001, so honestly, this whole law change doesn't really affect me one bit...

brisknomad6 said:I've held my donor card since 2001, so this new law doesn't change a single thing for me...

If you listen to Jamie Clark74, this legislation is basically just clarifying the same old rules we already had... though, if memory serves, even under the previous law, those donor cards didn't carry much weight anyway, so I suppose it does shift things for you just a tiny bit.

On a different note, some people take the integrity of the deceased incredibly seriously; as far as I know, Jewish traditions, for instance, require a full burial without any "leftovers" being left behind...
I find myself wondering how consistently that's actually practiced in this modern era...

The donor card is basically just a glorified membership card, kind of like having a pass to a local gym or a video club; it’s mostly just for show.

Legally speaking, doctors actually have the authority to harvest organs without even checking in with the family first. The only thing that can stop them is if the deceased person left behind some explicit, clear instruction saying "no thanks." Of course, you could argue about how anyone is supposed to prove what a brain-dead person's wishes were, but that was the way the system was designed. These recent updates to the donation laws aren't really changing much on the ground, other than requiring everyone to tell their primary care doctor whether they're in or out. That way, if things go south, the anesthesiologists in the ICU can just check the file and see if they're cleared to move forward.
But honestly, until that actually becomes the norm, we'll be waiting a long time...

In reality, though, here's how it actually works in America... We haven't had a single instance where organs were taken without asking the family and getting their written consent after a patient was declared brain dead.
Regardless of what the deceased might have thought about it, the family always has the final say here in the States. No hospital, and certainly no doctor in an ICU, is going to risk a massive legal headache or a media circus by trying to perform an explant against a grieving family's wishes.

Just one more thing... people can't just grab organs "on the sly," sell them, or whatever else people claim. That’s just pure nonsense.
A potential donor in our country can only be someone already in an intensive care unit, where they have all the high-tech diagnostic gear and life support necessary to maintain those vital functions.

People always make things up, and we've seen plenty of
discussions about this on the forum before.
Some folks claim that if you carry an organ donor card, doctors might under-treat you just to harvest your organs—all that talk about black markets and other nonsense.

It’s true that in some Asian countries, people actually sell kidneys and undergo those types of surgeries... that part is real.

Here in the States, we've had organized donor registration through ID cards and driver's licenses for years.

We have a centralized computer registry across the whole country to keep everything streamlined. It makes things much easier, and families often feel a sense of pride when a sudden loss results in saved lives—especially since close relatives can give consent, sometimes saving up to three people at once.

The last famous athlete who was a donor inspired such massive support from the public and his family that people were wearing little ribbons on their left wrists all over Congress and everywhere else.

Donations are desperately needed, and as Scott Allen10 says, nobody would dare try to exploit the system to take an organ without proper authorization.

It's a similar kind of dilemma when it comes to the issue of euthanasia.

Thanks for all the replies... it really just confirmed what I was already suspecting. I guess I’m definitely a donor after I pass, even though I haven't officially made the call yet, and my family might end up having to deal with those questions. But what if someone is desperately waiting on a kidney and I die young and then... well, I feel like that kidney would just vanish at light speed and nobody would even think twice about it.
It’s like during an autopsy, where nobody would even realize a piece of me is missing...

And honestly, I actually WANTED a donor card, but now that I see it doesn't actually mean anything or change the process... I mean, what’s even the point of asking for one?

Is it just so I can be entered into some system or something?

Michael Perez said:Thanks for the input... it pretty much confirmed what I was already suspecting. I'm definitely an organ donor after I pass (even though I haven't officially signed the paperwork yet), and my family will eventually have to deal with the questions. But honestly, if someone is desperate for a kidney and I die young... well, I think that kidney would move at light speed and nobody would even blink.
It’s like an autopsy happens and nobody even realizes a piece of me is missing...

And believe me, I actually WANTED a donor card, but now that I see it doesn't really mean anything or change the process... what's the point of even asking for one?

Is it just to make me feel more integrated into the system or something?

Hey Michael Perez, here's the whole discussion about the stuff you're interested in over on the politics board. It's actually a decent read.

Michael Perez
....so why even bother asking for a donor card?

Is it just to get me registered in the system or what?

No, it's so you can show your family and those close to you where you stand on organ donation.
In the absolute worst-case scenario, they'll know it was your decision, which frees them from any moral or religious dilemmas.

I've had my donor card since 2002.
I figured if I can save someone's life after I'm gone, why not? Plus, if I ever end up needing an organ myself, I'd be grateful. After all, we're all just turning back into dust and feeding the worms eventually... 🙂 So, take whatever is needed, and the rest goes in the urn... 😉

From what I've gathered about how organ donation works here in the States, the real issue is just this massive lack of organization—and honestly, a total lack of interest from the people who are actually supposed to handle the extractions. I remember reading this heartbreaking story in the news about parents whose son died in a car accident; they were begging the doctors to take his kidneys and anything else that could be used, since that was his explicit wish and he even had a donor card. But the medical team at the hospital—I think it was somewhere small like maybe a rural town in the Midwest, sorry, my memory is fuzzy—just claimed they weren't equipped or staffed to handle it. It’s such a shame because, unfortunately, we still see way too many viable organs go to waste, all because of people who (and their families too) are more than willing to donate them...
I really don't think you need to worry about someone snatching your organs against your will. They aren't even taking them from the people who are actually offering them, and that's where the whole mess lies...

:-) said:As far as I know, hardly anyone checks if all the organs are still accounted for before the funeral. Nobody would even notice if the doctors decided to help themselves...

But just recently, during a pathology case—basically an autopsy—they did a full, thorough examination, incisions and everything... And then the doctor said something along the lines of, "well, we can't exactly put everything back exactly how it was and perfectly rearrange it," implying some stuff might just stay missing... like extra inventory or whatever. I wasn't really paying close attention so I might have misheard... feel free to correct me if I'm wrong...

So yeah, plenty of people end up in the ground without their original internal lineup. 🙂