Points of Persuasion Syndicate

Nationwide, Far Fewer Families Than Needed Give Consent To Donate Organs For Transplant

(P-O-P-S) Americans are known to donate more money than any other country to charities at home and abroad. We firmly believe we are the masters of our own money and take steps to secure what happens to it after we are gone. Why then have so many of us failed to capture this spirit of American philanthropy when it comes to donating organs that our loved ones can no longer use?

While a potential donor is someone who has received excellent medical care but dies despite exhaustive efforts to save their life, one of the main anti-donation myths that has been perpetuated -- even after more than 50 years of successful programs of transplantation at reputable hospitals -- is this: “Doctors will not do all they can to save my life if they know I want to be an organ, eye and tissue donor.”

Afraid to enroll in a state-based organ donor registry when still healthy, people with this false belief are likely to have relatives who have no knowledge of their wishes. As a result, they refuse to give consent when approached by one of the 58 nonprofit federally-designated organ procurement organizations (OPOs) nationwide. One third of families asked to donate their loved one’s organs say no. Such a refusal is a tremendous loss. The regional organizations make the in-hospital requests for organ and tissue donation only when a patient has died.

“The reality is that in America, federal and state laws rigorously regulate organ and tissue donation and transplantation,” according to Elaine Berg, president and CEO of the New York Organ Donor Network, the OPO that serves one of the most diverse population groups in the country. “The professional and ethical responsibility of the hospital is always to save lives. The doctors treating patients have nothing to do with transplantation. Organ donation can only take place once all lifesaving efforts
have failed and when the death of the patient is declared.”