Why would you choose not to be an organ donor?

[Sparx]

I have a few gay male friends and they say the same thing. Made sense before we had reliable tests for AIDS. Now it is just to get the general populace to accept the blood supply as safe. There were only a few cases of AIDS transmission from blood, but it almost killed the whole shebang.

Sadly, this sort of fear is hard to overcome.

I'm not sure that its a fear of AIDs. Its a fear of homosexuals.

 

[java]

I asked for proof because I though you were asserting this as the norm. I looked for info and found nothing like this.

Do you mean she was actually sitting in on the surgery in the OR? Or perhaps sitting outside the room signing off on it. I have never heard of this, hopefully the facts are different than her sitting there watching them perform the surgery. I am sure this would be more widely known if it were common. It makes no sense, as no one would agree to this.

No she wasn't sitting in on surgery. Sorry if I gave that impression. She was the one in the room with the body as they came to take it out and would be there when she returned to the room- I was really shocked myself as I have never been in that situation and didn't know what to expect. She was speaking with me as she sat in the room alone with the body. The sadness she felt as they kept bringing back less of her. She KNEW that L was gone and it was just a body at that point. But still in her heart it was still her niece. She said to me after what she saw she would not be an organ donor and she felt terrible saying that. But she said it went way different than the way you think it will in your mind.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I don't think I ever pointed you out and said you are selfish. I said the act which you describe is selfish, there is a difference.

There is not, actually.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

...But sadly--there was no need to tell you that b/c what people choose to do with their own body in life or in death is their decision alone to make and noone should be shamed or guilted into it. It's vile.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I have a few gay male friends and they say the same thing. Made sense before we had reliable tests for AIDS. Now it is just to get the general populace to accept the blood supply as safe. There were only a few cases of AIDS transmission from blood, but it almost killed the whole shebang.

Sadly, this sort of fear is hard to overcome.

It is very unfortunate, certain blood types are always in demand it is unfortunate they leave a huge market untapped.

The AIDS transmissions were before many of the modern tests, but people prefer to stay uneducated and live in fear versus revisiting the situation. Also considering there are larger risk pockets than homosexuals (specifically gay men), and they are not held to any abritrary law.

Some people hold protests at the local Red Cross, I personally don't because our local Red Cross would love to take the blood, but they legally cannot.

My tattoos also are an issue as well, but that's a whole other subject.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I'm not sure that its a fear of AIDs. Its a fear of homosexuals.

No, the rules changes came after the AIDS transmissions. Before then, all homosexuals were free to give blood.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

There is not, actually.

Yes, there is, but considering my past interactions with you, I wouldn't expect us to agree.

 

[Sparx]

No, the rules changes came after the AIDS transmissions. Before then, all homosexuals were free to give blood.

But even though technology has advanced, this law hasn't been changed. AIDS is much more understood than it used to be, but we still abide by this law. Its prejudice and nothing more.

 

[luvmy3]

I just find it confusing (for lack of a better word).

If one believes that you need all your organs in the afterlife (and thus won't donate), wouldn't accepting organs mean depriving someone else (the donor) of an afterlife?

If one believes that doctors won't try to save you if you are an organ donor, wouldn't accepting organs make you a party to that "murder" (which is basically what these people are accusing doctors of doing)?

I definitely see your point. I guess the only thing I can think of is that if you do believe those things than you wouldn't donate your organs so if someone is willing to donate its obvious they do not share the same beliefs and therefore you would not be denying them an afterlife because they don't believe in it. I have no idea about the whole murder thing, I had never heard of that before this thread.
The only thing I know is that its human instinct to preserve your own life. Its natural to accept anything to save it, even if you aren't willing to give what it is you are willing to accept. I don't really consider that selfish, just very natural. I'm not really sure how else to explain it.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

No she wasn't sitting in on surgery. Sorry if I gave that impression. She was the one in the room with the body as they came to take it out and would be there when she returned to the room- I was really shocked myself as I have never been in that situation and didn't know what to expect. She was speaking with me as she sat in the room alone with the body. The sadness she felt as they kept bringing back less of her. She KNEW that L was gone and it was just a body at that point. But still in her heart it was still her niece. She said to me after what she saw she would not be an organ donor and she felt terrible saying that. But she said it went way different than the way you think it will in your mind.

Thank you for clarifying. What you just described is awful, but not nearly as horrible as what my mind was conjuring up! I can't imagine having to go through that.

 

[johnsontrio]

I don't need to prove it I was the one on the phone with the aunt as she sat there. How would you like me to prove it to you? Believe what you want to. I was trying to share a very real aspect of what occured just last year. And I actually know the people that were involved on the donating end of it. There had to be a family witness. I don't know if it was a "hospital" specific thing. Perhaps that is not always the case. It was the case in their instance.

I find this shocking! I, DH, DS and DBIL have worked in hospitals since the 1980s and I have never heard of this. I can't imagine how traumatizing it would be to see a family member you love go through this procedure. After all, the patient is kept on life support until they go to the OR to have this done. Despite the diagnosis of brain death, to a lay person, the patient appears very alive. They continue to have normal cardiac function (seen on the EKG monitor) and in most cases their coloring is good.

Can you share what state this occurred in and what exactly was harvested? Some harvesting does occur at the bedside instead of the OR and can take place after cardiac death occurs, for example, corneas and skin. In that case I can see a family member asking or insisting on staying. I can't imagine a family member accompanying a patient to the OR for a harvest of internal organs. It would be extremely disturbing to a family member to witness that.

 

[crashbb]

But even though technology has advanced, this law hasn't been changed. AIDS is much more understood than it used to be, but we still abide by this law. Its prejudice and nothing more.

While I agree that prejudice likely plays a role, I also think it is an effort to be seen to being doing *something* after the blood tainting debacle in the 1980s. My grandmother died of Hep C because they didn't put in restrictions about who could donate AND they didn't test the blood that they did get (the tainted blood that she got was after the Hep C test was developed).

It is the same reason they've put strict restrictions on people who have spent time in the UK and France for fear of BSE.

ETA - I think it is for show rather than based on actual science.

 

[luvmy3]

Do they do testing on all blood that is donated?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Yes, there is, but considering my past interactions with you, I wouldn't expect us to agree.

Please explain how they are different when the act of refusing to donate an organ is ongoing until death and is for eternity.

Also please explain how it makes you selfless to proudly proclaim what you are willing to do while implying that those who do not are ignorant.

(note--while I posted what I would do with my kidney while alive, I never once expressed what I would do post mortem--but it seems by your response you are making an assumption that is inappropriate and truly none of your business.)

 

[Piglets Mommy]

I have been an Organ Donor since I was 18. I registered to vote and signed up to be an organ donor at the same time. My FIL had a Heart Transplant 10 years ago...If I wasn't already an organ donor, that certainly would have spurred me to become one.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

But even though technology has advanced, this law hasn't been changed. AIDS is much more understood than it used to be, but we still abide by this law. Its prejudice and nothing more.

You may be right, but I don't think so. I think that more people simply don't want to trust their lives to a lab test. Americans are not a trusting lot.

The HIV transmissions via donated blood did not result in outrage against gays - it created outrage against the entities that managed the blood supply.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I plan to be an organ donor. I've been meaning to get on the bone marrow registry. My best friend was saved by a stranger transplant from a living donor. She has met her donor and his family and they have become very close. I just have to find the nearest center that does the registry.

I would also like to be able to do a living donation for kidneys should the need arrive, but I wouldn't be able to. I'm pretty sure they won't even consider taking one from a diabetic, and unfortunately, kidney failure is one of the most common complications. Even if they would accept it, I'm not sure I would be willing to give it just because I'm afraid that it would only make things worse for me on that front.

When I'm dead, they can take anything that is usable!

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Do they do testing on all blood that is donated?

Yes

 

[johnsontrio]

I cannot donate blood because I am a male and have sex with a male. It's prohibited.

If that precludes you from donating blood, does that not also preclude you from being an organ donor? If so, then you really don't have a horse in this race.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Please explain how they are different when the act of refusing to donate an organ is ongoing until death and is for eternity.

Also please explain how it makes you selfless to proudly proclaim what you are willing to do while implying that those who do not are ignorant.

(note--while I posted what I would do with my kidney while alive, I never once expressed what I would do post mortem--but it seems by your response you are making an assumption that is inappropriate and truly none of your business.)

You quoted my comment about someone insinuating I called them selfish, which I didn't, I said that my opinion of the situation is selfish in my eyes, which is different. Perhaps you intended to quote a different post.

I also never called anyone ignorant, I said Education is the key to stopping Ignorance. Please do not assume or twist my words.