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Subscribe to RSSRight now, nearly 114,000 people in the United States are waiting for organ transplants to save their lives. Tens of thousands more are in need of tissue, bone and cornea transplants to restore their mobility or sight. Facebook has decided to do something about the constant shortage of donors.
The company has announced that members can now declare their desire to be an organ donor on their Facebook page. According to a press release signed by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg, "…by simply telling people that you're an organ donor, the power of sharing and connection can play an important role."
I agree.
Donor cards and check-offs on driver’s licenses work, but not well. Sixty-two percent of Colorado's licensed drivers and ID card holders have signed "yes," for instance. But in the rest of the U.S., many more Americans have not. For example, fewer than 15 percent have checked the driver’s license donor box in New York State. Since most Americans say they do want to donate when they die -- a Gallup study found 95 percent support organ donation -- and since most families, when asked, do consent to donation by a loved one, why the poor donor card rates?
The answer, in part, is that the Department of Motor Vehicles is not the best agency to recruit organ donors. As I have argued in a recent article in the American Journal of Bioethics with philosophy professors Kyle Whyte and Evan Selinger, asking people to do something nice for others when they have been stewing in a long line, getting angrier and angrier while they wait is not conducive to altruism.
True story about my experience at the DMV: When I went to renew my license here in Pennsylvania, I told the official at the counter that I wanted to be an organ donor. She frowned and said maybe that was not a good idea, since she had heard that people who check the wish to donate box might not get aggressive care at the hospital. She had heard wrong, of course. But the point is, being asked to donate by someone who does not know the facts, or, does not really care about them, while waiting in a crummy environment, is not the best way to identify donors.
Facebook can help. That's mostly because the power of a donor card really is to let others know about your wishes when you die. However, if for some reason your card is not found when you die, or your family and friends do not know you signed it, then your desire to donate might be unknown -- or ignored. Facebook gives one more avenue for others to learn about your wishes -- and that is all to the good.
Some might argue that it could be coercive to have your friends publicly state they want to be organ donors, especially if you are not sure. I don’t think so. The choice is yours, but seeing that your family and friends have chosen to donate is a fact that might sway, not coerce, your decision.
So, good for Facebook for trying to help find more donors for those in need. Let’s hope, for the sake of all those waiting for the gift of life, it helps.
What do you think of publicly sharing your organ donor status on Facebook? Tell us... on Facebook
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Leave a Comment:
I'm a strong supporter of organ donation, but many check the box on their license or leave such in their will not realizing that they need to speak with family members to let their wishes be known.
Ultimately, the family members are the ones who make the final decision! No matter what your wishes, if your family says no and refuses to sign off on the donation then the chances are slim to none that your organs will be donated.
What I don't understand is that they just don't make everyone an organ donor. You are dead!!!!!! Take what you want from me if it will safe a life. What ever is left, throw it in a casket and through me a party that will celebrate my life. People are so weird about this issue.
Mike, that is exactly right. If you wish to be an organ donor, discuss your decision with your family repeatedly. Make your wishes known again and again. Raise their awareness as you make your wishes crystal clear. During one of the most traumatic moments of your survivors lives they should instinctually know what you would have wanted.
Blake,
Many cultures and beliefs are fearful that they will need all their parts whatever comes after. I think if families were offered a perk, like coverage for some funeral expenses if someone was a viable donor it might help the cause.
I used to be an organ donor until that article about Cheney getting the heart transplant revealed that you essentially need an expensive health insurance plan before you're covered enough to even get most organ transplants. When anyone can get a transplant regardless of the level of their insurance I'll be a donor again.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=1514702#.T6FgV-trNfY
StMiller,
That is not true. I recently donated a kidney to a friend. My friend was diagnosed and placed on dialysis in 2009. Although he maintained a job, often working 40+ hours a week, with a reputable, national company, he was not able to get medical insurance to cover his treatment and he received public healthcare benefits. His transplant, and my medical needs, were all covered under the benefits he received.
Yes, it may be that Cheney received the care that he received because of his insurance plan, but it is not always the case. Please reconsider your decision. Donating your organs not only impacts the recipient but his/her family and all of the people who love that person. It is truly a miracle when you can save another person's life.
StMiller... Guess who pays for most transplants?? Medicare/Medicaid. Unless someone is very wealthy or had a really good job and maintained their health insurance after becoming too ill to work then they quite often end up on disability. So our tax dollars pay for their transplant. The wealthy have some advantages in that they can more easily be listed in more locations but overall the majority of those receiving organs are not the wealthy.
The media was trying to make a political statement so articles are VERY misleading. Even Cheney had to wait over a year to get his organ and their are tons of checks and balances to make sure that the system in the US remains mostly fair.
It is true and the article I read about Cheney was on Fox News and was discussing how it had nothing to do with who he is but how much insurance coverage he has.
Stmiller.. I've worked with transplant patients for years and you know how many I've worked with that were rich??? ZERO! Only a small minority even had insurance, which they obtained from work before becoming disabled. Yes there are some centers that cater to insured or wealthy patients but that is the small minority and not the majority.
Myth: Rich and famous people go to the top of the list when they need a donor organ.
Fact: The rich and famous aren't given priority when it comes to allocating organs. It may seem that way because of the amount of publicity generated when celebrities receive a transplant, but they are treated no differently from anyone else. In fact, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the organization responsible for maintaining the national organ transplant network, subjects all celebrity transplants to an internal audit to make sure the organ allocation was appropriate.
Do some research on transplant and don't naively belief everything some reporter who has no clue writes. Their job is to sell news and if they can piece together some story about how the system is being abused by the rich then they do it. It doesn't matter if they find one case in 100,000, they'll make it sound pervasive. Here's where you start if you'd like to learn for yourself. http://www.unos.org/
How many scandals have there been with illegal organ harvesting? hooray for capitalism, and the free market. Get people to donate their organs, where they are then stripped of not just their organs, but every tissue and bone possible, where it is then sold on exchanges for profit. Brilliant. So yeah, I am keeping my organs. If they want a higher participation rate, they should make an organ exchange, or something along the lines of a reverse mortgage, but for your body. Or subsidize health / life insurance with organ pledges...
Profiteers have made enough money off of me in life. I refuse to let them profit of me in death.
Jon - what are you talking about? No one "profits" from a donation except the people that receive the donation. Their profit is a loner life. Why are you going to "keep your organs"???? You are DEAD...they will not do you any good. If you donate them you live on and make a difference in another person's life. I am am organ donor. I have told my family about my wishes. My son was an organ donor. It is a small bit of comfort to know that a little part of him lives on. Educate yourself before you spew your nonsense.
Jon-You are a sociopath, there is no proof that there has been scandals in the US from organ donation. You are an ignorant man, who does not know what you are talking about.
You don't want to give smokers lungs? Screw you, grow another heart or kidneys because donation is a two way street.
Jon... can you point out links on reputable websites that document these scandals in the US that involve illegal harvesting?
Not talking about the person wakes in a bathtub with ice or some other BS story that circulates with I know a friend who has a friend who knew someone that ____.
The transplant system in the US has tons of check and balances to prevent illegal organ harvesting and usage. A family member can't even specify who gets what organs so paying family members would not even guarantee that a particular recipient would get an organ even if the family donated one. I won't say that it's impossible for some unethical doctor somewhere to do something illegal but a hospital is NOT going to risk its status as an organ transplant or harvesting center to do an illegal transplant surgery, it would lose 100's of millions of dollars because it would also likely lose CMS funding. That means the organ MUST be harvested and implanted according to guidelines (which means tons of documentation). A hospital can't even give an organ from a dead "high risk" category patient to another patient without the recipient's consent.
Outside of the US is another story, but inside the US it just doesn't happen.
Jon, you are total *glassbowl*. I have a feeling that a DNA test might be the only way to prove you are a member of the human race.... because you are not exhibiting the intelligence and emotional depth that is typically a characteristic of the species.
There are so many layers of protection against this happening, especially in the US. Why don't you try actually listening to facts?
Jon, doesn't matter if you wish to keep your organs....if your next of kin wishes to donate--guess what you'll be without? The point is to make your wishes known to your family. When the time comes they will know what you wanted done. My husband was given the opportunity to live longer with the donation of lungs 15 years ago. The heart recipient was given 10+ years after waiting 100 days in ICU for heart. We have become close to donor's family and been blessed beyond words!
I sincerely doubt any medical establishment is going to "harvest" your organs based on a declaration on Facebook. With account spoofing and outright hacking known to have occurred on Facebook, the legal liability of proceeding based on that declaration would be enormous. It seems that this is just another "makes me feel better" social feature similar to "liking" peanut butter or world peace, with just one click.
When you put it that way I guess it does make this whole article sound like a bunch of hot air. Beyond being used as proof in court cases, facebook declarations carry no weight or legal value, especially when it comes to end of life decisions.
It's not that your declaration on Facebook carries any legal clout at all. It's that your declaration there may alert your family to your wishes, if you hadn't had that important conversation before your untimely death. Some people do want to be organ donors (like my beautiful sister), but get squeamish when it comes to talking about it with their families. I've heard people say that talking about it is like tempting fate. Bologna! People need to let their families know. My whole family talked about it years ago. Sadly, a drunk driver took Amber's life when she was 16, but she saved eight lives as a result. I will gladly make my decision public on Facebook. None of my friends or family will be surprised, as I'm a vocal supporter of organ donation. It's just another way to let people know. That's all. And if it suggests to others that it's a positive thing to do, all the better!
I'm sorry for your loss of your sister. You fully understand the benefits of organ donation. Yes, someone had to die in order for them to become donors, but life goes on and I'm hoping the satisfaction of that, can ease the pain of losing the donor in the first place as most cases are tragic accidents. I have my drivers licensed signed and also made my family aware of my decision.
Thanks ahgirl. :)
Wildcatherder, There are stories of people allowed to die simply because the doctors
want an organ of the patient.Things like that do happen.My husband rode the ambulance for years,
and they sometimes check to see if the victim is an organ donor,looking for something to harvest.
It does happen,
Beautifully put Daisy.
Kaili- Proof before you spout your nonsense, it is people like you who help keep organ donation low. What you said is a horrible lie and urban myth.
Frankly, I think there's good reason for at least some of us to be leery of putting ourselves out there as donors. Leaving the crapshoot aspect of brain death determination by hospital, the latest proposals by United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) expanding 'Donation after Cardiac Death' (DCD) eligibility to people with spinal cord injury, neuromuscular conditions, etc are cause for concern - as were the suggestions that evaluation on 'donation' (I still prefer harvesting in this context) could begin *before* a decision was made to withdraw life-sustaining treatment. Diane Coleman wrote an analysis on the NDY blog back in January. (notdeadyetnewsandcommentary dot blogspot dot com)
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Shut up Ben,No I don't have proof.
U want to be an organ donor,be my guest,but some of us are
not comfortable with it,so STFU!!!
Kaili, shame on you! Your post is a lie from word one! No EMT or paramedic would ever do such a thing. They take their duty to save lives as seriously as any other member in the health profession... My god, these people risk death to rescue and tend to people in the inner city. They are professionals in the best sense of the world.
I suggest you get help for your pathological lying disorder!
There are many people like myself who do not trust the docs etc.
You have never heard of illegal organ harvesting?It does happen,
And u are the blind one here!!!Open your eyes,this stuff happens.
Actually, there's a simple solution:
In order for you to be eligible to receive an organ transplant, you need to have been listed as an organ donor yourself before the onset of any medical condition requiring a transplant. If you receive a transplant, you must be listed as an organ donor for life.
I am not an organ donor, and it is because of arbitrary, baseless reasons more because of human psychology than anything else. Really, there's absolutely no incentive to check the box, which probably means it'll get done in 5-10 years, if I ever get around to it. Yes, it's certainly not good for society, but that's not how my mind registers it. An no, being aware of this don't change the its ranking on my to-do list, which is perpetually near the bottom. Public policy really needs to take human psychology seriously to be effective. If there were a tangible incentive (being eligible to receive a transplant, for example) I would be an organ donor by the end of the week.
Wow, Its all about you isn't it?
Yes, Makes, it IS all about him...and he reflects how most people feel. My own feeling is that the donors should by all means be allowed to profit from the donations...just as much as the doctors do.
What about kids who need a transplant? Or someone like me, have always been on the donor list (bone marrow, too) and now have had chemo and cannot donate? Do we not get the option of a transplanted organ if otherwise our health is good?
If you GET a transplant you cannot be a donor at that point since you are then on a lot of drugs to maintain the new organ and prevent rejection. So much for the "lifetime donor" tag.
Sad that you need incentive to be an altruist. Perhaps you should post that you don't ever want an organ since you clearly are not interested in donating one? Would that be an adequate negative incentive for you? Maybe just two boxes...
Yes, I want to be a donor and please put me on the list if I need one.
No, I do not want to be a donor and do not want to ever be considered for a transplant either.
Teresa, altruism is not a very reliable motive. The profit motive, on the other hand, works like a charm. That's why I say that donors should be paid for the donations, just as doctors are. And, yes, I believe that birth mothers should also be paid for adoptions.
What does adoption have to do with the story???
Glad you asked, Kaili. Both adoptable children and organ donations are in short supply, and IMHO that is because the donor must act out of sheer altruism, rather than the profit motive...even though the doctors have no problem with the profit motive for themselves.
Ahh,I see now.Thank u for clearing that up:)
Noah,
The flaw in your plan is that once you receive a transplant, the medications and process very often make it highly doubtful that they would use your other organs.
Noah, what about people with genetic disorders that preclude them from donating? Are they SOL you sociopath?
Noah,
I'm not sure where you have received your information about the requirments for being on the transplant list. I'd like to see eivdence of your statement.
As far being a donor, it is a privilege. I am a living donor and have been fortunate to see the impact of organ donation on the recipient and the family. It isn't about money, privilege or insurance. Donate because it saves a life.
To address a few concerns:
To those complaining of the gaping loopholes, covering all the bases cannot be expounded in two sentences. I was not suggesting Procrustean standards or proclaiming those two whole sentences as fit to be slapped on a bill with no further amendments. Seriously, I wrote two sentences, and some of you think that those two sentences would cover every possible circumstance?
To those complaining that checking the box should come from altruism alone, what matters is having more organ donors. If Mr. Scrooge became an organ donor, that would be a good thing. If you want to rely on just altruism, you'll have to settle for today's results, which are less than optimal. This is why human psychology is important, and insulting people is perhaps the least constructive thing you can do.
The incentive shouldn't have to be money in the bank (for some people, this might be effective). Being eligible to receive a transplant would be motivation enough, at least for me. The idea is that person X has a strong incentive to become a donor early and long before he might ever need one if he does. Granted, the benefit comes from everyone signing up early rather than the few who do receive transplants and are on for life.
The problem is really related to the lack of requesting by medical professionals at the time of declaration of brain death. Currently about 1/3 of all eligible donor families are not asked to consider donating the organs of their loved one. Of the other 2/3 that are asked, half say yes and half say no. So if every eligible family was asked, donation would increase by 50%. JCAHO has been making some efforts on this but I'm not sure how well they are working.
The person at the D.M.V. in Pennsylvania is correct.A former Gov. of Pa. got put ahead of everyone else too get a Transplant. A hospital in Erie Pa. was busted for taking organ from NON DONORS. And the same hospital was busted for trumping up blood work for law enforement to gain convictions.Because the hospital gets paid by the Courts that place fines on the convicted. And its a big game to in Pa. I need a lung Transplant myself. But I was told that I could not get one because i WAS a smoker. So people before you donate anything remember this and look it up first. So called donated hair to children etc. are charged about (4) four thousand dollars for it. When you put your nickels and dimes in the can. The Chairperson and C.E.O'S get a half a MILLION A YEAR .
Bobbs36,
Don't throw out the whole dozen because of one bad egg. And Really? You need a lung and you still smoke. You know why they won't give alcoholics livers, right?
The organ donation system needs to seriously clean up its act. If you think it's clean, go do better research instead of just reading what you want to hear. I've watched famlies be literally bullied into donating, during the most vulnerable time of their lives. I've heard the donation vultures say "go get that man's liver, I don't care what you have to say or do to convince the family" after being turned down by the family. And when people like David Crosby can get an organ, there's something terribly wrong with the system.
agree with you.They will bully someone into donating organs at bad times.
You must live in Erie PA. See post #5
Amsterdam NY,
Have you seen it first hand? If not shut your mouth.
my husband has,so piss off @!$%#!!!
My son was given a second chance at life at only 8 months old thanks to the generosity of complete strangers who donated their son's organs. He is now three and doing amazing. That's three years we would not have had with him otherwise. Become an organ donor for NO OTHER REASON THAN THAT- saving another person's life. Period. End of story. Organ donation is vital BECAUSE IT WORKS.
My beautiful sister saved eight lives by requesting, at the tender age of 16, to be an organ donor, should anything happen to her. We could have never guessed that a drunk driver would take her from us a month after she got her driver's license. But her SELFLESS act made our decision painless and while I grieve her death every day, I am comforted knowing she lives on in those eight people, who are all still doing well today. Organ donation is an amazing thing! And if Facebook can spread the word, great! Those who are afraid, or too selfish, after DEATH, I'm sorry for - it's sad. Amber's gift goes on and on. And for that I'm grateful. Peace.
Organ donation....from Mark Zuckenberg
Only thing is that Jews are not allowed to donate organs. But nice try, Mark.
jw, it is only the most Orthodox Jews who cannot donate organs...and I believe that even they can donate an organ, such as a kidney, if they have more than one.
My husband and I are each other's Medical Power of Attorney; however, we also know we could both be in an accident and so we have an alternate MPOA. We also have signed off on being donors with the DMV and let our physician and local hospital know. Yes, family knows, but in a moment of emotional distress it's important to have calmer, clearer heads involved hence the alternate MPOA and all the notices to all our physicians, hospitals, etc.
If you are not yet a donor, please, please consider it. Our nephew is alive because of a donor.
I don't understand why everyone doesn't have a "reply" to their post.
GREAT - now who has the heathiest liver....?
Where can I get a non-donor card ?
I refuse to donate my organs until I get some compensation. Doctors and hospitals get paid for replacing human organs, so naturally they want to scavenge your body for free.
I don't trust the hospitals, either. I have read too many stories about people being injected with preservative chemicals while still alive.
Me too,I've heard some scary stories.This is why I am not a donor.
I don't trust the docs,hospitals none of them.
Isn't the fact that you've SAVED ANOTHER HUMAN'S LIFE compensation enough? If not, then God help selfish people like you.
Perhaps along with the donor box it could say...if not checked you also do not ever want one, even if it would save your life.
EMT's and docs want to keep organ donors alive (so the opposite of what some are saying)...you cannot harvest from a dead body.
They get paid for the work, not the organs.
Ignorance, fear and stupidity are the top reasons why people don't donate their organs. The organ donor checkbox, and even the proposed Facebook effort are not legally binding. One's family has to agree and sign for permission to harvest organs. None of the process begins until all efforts to save the individual have been take.
Steve,yes I understand that is how it's supposed to work.
But I have heard enough stories,I just don't trust the system.
I don't mean to sound nutty,but I don't trust these people.
Kaili,
I don't mean to be disrespectful, but anyone that bases decisions on "what they hear", rather than doing some real research is at best ignorant. I have had 3 transplants over the last 35 years, at 3 different facilities. I have served on patient boards and committees in two different states, and belong to numerous charitable organizations that work with transplant patients, donors and families. I can attest that system is very meticulously monitored to make sure everything is above board. Are there people out there that may act illegally, immorally or unscrupulously? I'm sure there are incidents.
And sure, the doctors make money. They get paid like everyone else. I personally think that doners should be allowed to collect expenses and losses incurred by donating. As far as selling off organs, I see many potentially tragic pitfalls.
When all is said, no one is going to steal your organs in the middle of the night, or not treat you so they can make money on transplants. The doctors that would be treating you are not the same as those that might seek to procure you organs once you pass.
Of course you are allowed your belief. The generosity of at least 2 families during an excruciatingly difficult time saved my life as well as the lives of several others.
Dr. Caplan, your article isn't quite right. While we are thrilled with registrations today from Facebook, they still are only half of what the DMV does every day in California to help us save lives. Signing up on an official registry via the DMV or online is by far the best way to ensure your wishes are followed. I dearly love our DMVs and appreciate Facebook, too. It takes all of us working together all of the time to save lives!
You all better pickup a copy of this months Discovery science magazine, it has a good article about this, its a 20 billion dollar a year business, average organ transplant, 400,000 dollars. Hospitals@doctors getting rich, what does the family of the donor get, gee, thanks. How noble of you, if its so important, why don't doctors and hospitals do this for free. What you do is your business, as for me my will has instruction, leave my organs alone! Until it becomes free for the person receiving the organs, I'm not going to help fatten the wallet of hospitals and doctors!
I think that some don't check that little yes box at the DMV cause they think that doctors will be too quick or to interested in harvesting your organs instead of giving you every chance to live from what ever accident sent you to the hospital in the first place.
yes,that is why many of us don't want to be organ donors.
There is a way out of the dilemma...tell your family that you want to be a donor but do not sign the donor card.