Asklemmy

I am - in the UK - and I think that it should be opt out rather than opt in.

Just so everyone knows, you can't really transplant dead organs (at least not as safely or with the success of live organs).

They can only use your organs if you die in a hospital setting. They will keep pumping blood to your organs after you die to keep them "fresh" and "alive."

Post-death organ transfer exists but is way more risky than an organ that was recently in a living, functioning body.

So if you've ever considered it, keep in mind that you have to die at a hospital for it to happen, and even then, they're still technically forcing your body to be alive to keep these organs alive.

Source: Friend who lost his leg to amputation during a COVID-coma. They didn't think he would make it. He woke up in the donor ward. EDIT: Just to be clear, this happened during peak COVID before the vaccines when bodies were just piling up everywhere. I don't think a coma patient waking up in the donor ward is a normal thing, I think it happened because COVID was a fucked up situation and people were overwhelmed.

Judging by this comment thread I'm not the only one who's like "you can have them, but I don't know if you're going to want them"

Healthcare in the US is run for profit. From 2020 estimates, they charge $1.6 million for a heart transplant. $1.3 million to transplant a pair of lungs, $880 thousand for a liver, and $440 thousand for a kidney. This is what for profit hospitals charge patients while giving your next of kin nothing for the organs that made it possible.

They don't pay you for your organs. They will still bill your estate for any care other than the organ removal despite your generosity.

I would happily be an organ donor in a country with a non-profit healthcare system. But because of how heathcare is run in this country, I would rather my organs be left to rot.

Thankfully it's opt-out in Slovakia, so yes.

I'll be dead. Do whatever with my body. Take the organs, fuck it, feed it to animals, compost it, use it as shooting target, turn me into soap, I won't care. I literally won't be able to care. Why even decline?

• of course.
• i'll be dead and won't need them while others might. how selfish of me not to give them over

Twin.

I wish I could properly state the right of first sale he has, given it's his DNA (well, he has mine, anyway).

Fun fact: organs donated between perfect twins have no short- or long-term rejection issues. So unlike a regular donation that prolongs life for a decade or two, if he can drug me and steal my kidneys in sleazy Mexican motel, it's a permanent fix.

Hell, when I go, maybe he'll take a spare kidney or pancreas or something, and just, you know, hook them up. Totally fine with me.

I've been registered for a while now. I really don't see a good reason not to, they only take 'em if I'm dead and what good are they to me then? Better going to someone in need.

Yes I am registered, because I ride motorcycles and I won't need my organs if I'm dead.

No.

My mom got double brain aneurism. Had her head cut open to put clamps on the leaking arteries.

Slipped into a coma, few days later doctor came in to convince us for prepping her for organ donor, dad said it was too early.

Another few days later doctors came in being really rude that all she was good for was organ donor. Had a heated conversation with my dad who got tired and said "fck off doctors".

Few days later she woke up. After revalidation she has a healthy life, this was 37yrs ago, she still lives, she is 71.

My dad told my awake mum and since I was underaged opted me out for organ donor. Needles to say, I am reluctant to opt myself back in.

Optional read: aftermath of the aneurism is that the part of the brain to process visual data was damaged. Other parts of her brain took that role but is not as effective. Her depth perception any further that 10m is gone. She has no vertical peripheral processing, so she has to tilt her head up or down to recognize what she noticed i' her peripheral, one cannot imagine this seeing something but unable to recognize until you point your head at it :) in the end, very good outcome.

I like the system in Singapore. Organ donation is mandatory, though you can complete a form to opt out. If you're on the opt-out register, you have a lower priority to receive organ transplants. Fair is fair.

Throwing this post out there for a bit of visibility and discussion.

For me, I just registered 5 minutes ago. Idgaf what they use my body for, as long as someone learns something it's a net positive at no expense to me.

Yep. Pessimistic about anything still being useful at this point, but hoping I am wrong.

Here in Belgium everyone is a donor unless you register that you don't want to donate your organs.

Yes I am. As for why, my organs will save peoples lives,

I was already a donor before my sister died but it really solidified my stance when she saved three people's lives with her kidneys and liver. They needed it more than the crematorium needed them.

As a very strong believer in Danny DeVito's quote, "When I'm dead, just throw me in the trash!", if any medical party is even remotely interested in dumpster diving for my parts when I'm done with them, they can have 'em. Better than throwing them in a box and taking up land in a cemetary. The less of my remains uselessly taking up space on this planet after death, the better. If I get my way upon my demise, anything they don't take is going into the incinerator anyway.

In Austria you have to register to NOT be an organ donor. So we have about 99% donors (after brain death). I am a donor too, as I neither care about my body once I am dead nor bother to register for anything.

Yes. Probably been registered for more than 10 years now. I’m in Sweden and it was a super easy online form to fill in.

When I die there’s probably someone else who needs my organs more than me.

Yes, definitely.

I received a live donor kidney transplant over a decade ago, and because of that, my quality of life drastically improved, and I lived long enough to meet my kid and my nieces and nephews.

I've got complex medical issues, so my organs might not be any good, but they're going to be available when I'm gone.

No, I'm one of those weird people that because my family moved to the UK when I was little in the late 80s for work for a year I'm under risk of mad cow disease and none of us can donate blood or organs. Learned that the sad way when trying to give blood in college, like half a dozen random things that can disqualify you that you might not realize.

Yes, I don't see why not. What else am I gonna do with my organs when I'm dead?

Up until now here in Germany we had a "system" that was a paper(!) card you put in your wallet if you were ok with donating your organs. That's obvioisly not an ideal system and Germany has far to few donors. We now moved to an online system and being Germany it's (as far as I've heard, I haven't tried it yet - which might be a sign that this is not going to be a great solution) is super complicated and convoluted. So basically even worse than the piece of paper in your wallet (seems impossible but for Germany business as usual when it comes to anything digital).

Personally this would be one of the very few things were I would be ok with something being opt-out instead of opt-in but I don't see that happening.

My spouse and I are registered to donate our bodies to a medical college. If we can advance medicine in even a small way, it is still a move to better life and health.

I'm set to donate my body to science. Maybe I even get to be a skeleton in a class room or sum 💀

No, both to receive and give organs. I'm just not comfortable with the idea.

Yeah, why not? Wtf am I going to do with them when I'm dead?

Yes because why not. I doubt they will be of much use, but feel free to harvest anything you want. It would be the most useful I've been in my existence.

Yes, it just feels like the right thing to do. Why let them go to waste if they can help someone else live.