O is for Organ donation in ABC Wednesday

Regular visitors to my blog will know that I had a successful heart transplant five years ago. However that is not the issue of this post - the issue is what made this possible: A donation of an organ by an unknown donor who no longer needed it.

Wikipedia defines Organ donation like this:

Organ donation is the removal of the tissues of the human body from a person who has recently died, or from a living donor, for the purpose of transplanting. Organs and tissues are removed in procedures similar to surgery. People of all ages may be organ and tissue donors.

WHO has the following sentences as one of the major guidelines for organ transplantation:

Cells, tissues and organs may be removed from the bodies of deceased persons for the purpose of
transplantation if:

(a) any consent required by law is obtained, and
(b) there is no reason to believe that the deceased person objected to such removal.

The laws varies from country to country concerning how this is done and how the obvious ethical questions are handled. Concerning the last question, it is worthy of note that all the major religions in the world accept organ donation - it is the ultimate gift. Registers are often used, either with "yes" or "no". In Norway one can in principle use any organ that qualifies medically and ethically, but in practice a known acceptance by the donor or the relatives is required. That is why there are yearly campaigns where people are encouraged to fill out donor cards that they can carry on their person and to inform their relatives and friends about their decision. The second picture is from such a stand in Bergen in 2006. The text on the poster board says it all:

Organ donation - life as a gift.

I owe my life to a donor whose family gave a positive answer to the ultimate question when no hope of continued life was left: Do you wish that the organs of your relative shall save the life of somebody else? They did so, and I will be eternally grateful.


Today's post is an entry in the fourth round of ABC Wednesday, the meme initiated by Denise Nesbitt.

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