Why You Should Be an Organ Donor

When asked if they would like to become organ donors, many people ask themselves "Why should I donate my organs? What are the benefits? Are there any reasons not to?" For many people the topic of organ donation can be a touchy one. Many people have religious beliefs against the practice, or apply to certain conspiracy theories that put forth horror stories about organs being taken from patients who would have otherwise survived. Despite these concerns, the fact remains that at any given point in time 36,000 patients in the United States alone are on waiting lists for organs donated by donors. Less than 50% of these patients will ever receive the organs they need to survive. Every person who becomes an organ donor has the potential to save one or more of these people's lives. The purpose of this article is to present you with the 10 ten reasons to become an organ donor, and hopefully to convince you to check that organ donor checkbox the next time you renew your driver's license

Top Ten Reasons why you should be Organ Donor

10. As stated above, 36,000 people are waiting for organ donors in the United States alone. According to the Department of Health and Human Services 17 of these people die every day because no viable organs were available. By becoming an organ donor you could save more than one of these lives on the same day that you die. Think of it as a circle of life kind of deal: You lose your life, but in doing so you save others.

9. Organ donation will not alter the exterior appearance of your body after the procedure is complete. Organ donors are fully able to have open casket funerals. Being an organ donor will not change what happens to your body after death in any way, besides the initial procedure at the hospital where you are taken when/after you die.

8. You should be an organ donor because it will help provide some type of consolation to the friends and family who survive you. Studies show that for allowing organ removal from recently deceased relatives eases the mourning process for the vast majority of families who do so. So, becoming an organ donor will not only help strangers with otherwise terminal illnesses, but also those who are closest to you.

7. There is no financial reason why you should not be an organ donor. All expenses relating to organ donation are paid for by the organ donation program that facilitates your gift.

6. Even if you are aged or of poor health, chances are you still eligible to be an organ donor. Many people believe that smoking or drinking will make them ineligible to be organ donors. This is not true. While smoking or drinking may make a person's lungs or liver unusable for transplants, they may have a perfectly functioning set of eyes, kidneys and digestive organs. A team of professionals will determine which organs from a deceased person are eligible for donation at the time of death. Therefore, everyone should be an organ donor, even if they are of poor health, because chances are they have at least one organ which could help save someone's life.

5. Even if you do agree to be an organ donor, hospital officials still need to get authorization from your next of kin in order to carry out the procedure. So, in effect, there is little chance of your organs being harvested prematurely, as long as you are on good terms with your relatives.

4. Many people don't realize that over 1500 of the people waiting for organ donors every year are children. Over half of these children will die before an organ becomes available for them. You could save these children's lives at not tangible cost to yourself.

3. A person who agrees to donate their organs after their deaths can save up to an amazing 40 lives through organ and tissue donations. Many people would be willing to sacrifice their lives while living in order to save 40 others. Shouldn't you be willing to donate your organs after you are dead to save this many lives?

2. Being an organ donor will not affect the treatment you receive in hospital: i.e., they will not work less hard to save your life so that they have the chance to harvest your organs. The doctor who will treat you will be a specialist in the area in which you need treatment. In all likelihood he or she has nothing to do with organ transplants, no vested interest in it, and may not even know that you are a registered organ donor.

1. While this was also the first reason on the list, it bears stating again: Being an organ donor will help save lives. There are few or no reasons that one can argue for not saving lives when one can do so at little to no cost to oneself. In the end, one should become an organ donor, despite underlying fears, because it will ensure that you do not die in vain. Rather your death will be a harbinger of life for someone else. Organ donation will give you a kind of immortality, allowing you to live on in the lives of those you save.