Organ Transplant & other questions

[Guest guest]

> This is from another group--I've edited out most

> personal references....

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> England is not one of the countries that have a

> " presumed consent " law, which is what you are

> describing. In fact there was recently a huge scandal

> at Alder Hey Hospital (in Yorkshire, I think) where it

> was revealed that children's organs were removed after

> heir deaths without parental permission for research

> purposes. While it was not done for donation, it still

> hurt organ donation there big time, and some serious

> PR work had to be done.Spain is one country that has a

> presumed consent law, where everyone is presumed to be

> a donor. Even they however have an " opt out " clause

> where people can refuse to be donors, if they so

> desire. It is important to remember that being a donor

> is a personal decision, and must be respected no

> matter whether it is yes or no. Now as for such a

> system working here, it has been brought up on more

> than one occasion in the transplant community. The

> problem is that the US is NOT a homogeneous society,

> unlike many others throughout Europe. Even there,

> presumed consent is the exception, rather than the

> rule in most European nations. Also, families are

> still involved, as it is considered important for them

> as well. Also, take everything the news says with a

> grain of salt. I have sat in on the process by which

> families are asked to donate their loved ones organs.

> I can tell you from personal experience that it is far

> from the business like setup you seem to be

> describing. It is done with the utmost care, and

> respectfulness towards the donor family. They MUST be

> asked a barrage of question pertaining to their loved

> one's medical health, as this is vitally important in

> making a decision as to whether a person is an

> acceptable candidate for donation. They are explained,

> in the greatest detail as to what their options are.

> Note, I stress THEIR options. This is important, in

> that it helps to keep a sense of control for the

> family, in a situation where all is spinning out of

> their control. We want this to be a positive

> experience for the family. Yes, there are the thorny

> legalities that have to be dealt with, however, there

> is the other side of the equation, which I just

> described. This decision, while it is ultimately up

> to the patient, winds up in the hands of the family.

> As I explained above, much is done to help families

> make this decision easier, however, I think that if it

> is shown that a patient's wishes were to donate, those

> are the ones that should take precedent. Hence the

> need to enforce the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act. This

> is I believe a far better option than a presumed

> consent law. It still leaves the decision to donate in

> the hands of where it belongs, with the patient. As

> Debbie is your next of kin, and vice versa, your

> parents CANNOT (in most states, AFAIK) overrule her,

> or yourself when it comes to decision making time. I

> hope this sheds some light on this topic. It's a tough

> decision for some, to be sure.

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