Organ Donation

[Geoff]

I hope you will all sign up in favour of this change.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6902519.stm
I suppose I should be careful what I say here but as I am the original militant atheist what the heck.
The misguided religious folk who are against this irritate me even more than organic gardening zealots.
How you can claim to be Christian and against this defeats me. I would like us to be constitutionally secular ignoring all religious convictions equally. In fact I would like more religion convictions, convict people for campaigning against abortion (the last thing the world needs is more people), convict people for campaigning against using organs for donation or research (those Alder Hey parents who buried slides needed certifying), etc.

[Primrose]

I know in principle the donation of human organs is a desirable thing and would save many people from an early death. There is just one thing stopping me from completing a Donor Card. That is the horrible fear that I might not actually be dead before some eager medic starts asset stripping my body. And before anybody starts to try and reassure me this could never happen, I can only tell the true story of a doctor acquaintance of ours who in his early training years, certified a patient dead in hospital. The body was taken to the mortuary. Some time later the storage compartment was opened and the mortician, to his horror, found that the patient was still breathing. After that, the thought of having my eyes, heart or liver removed has never seemed very attractive.

[Weed]

I have to agree with Primrose....In theory it sounds the answer to everything but Doctors have proved that they may not be the most ethical people as they think they are.

Remember all the organs taken without permission...whose to say that it is not already happening?

Even if the scheme was adopted and someone opted out..how can this be quickly conveyed when a death occurs? do we have a tattoo across our chests saying 'KEEP OUT'

The present system is fine...if those who wish to donate organs are serious then they will take the necessary steps.. apparently 80% purport to support donorship but only 20% of them carry cards!

[Granny]

Perhaps if everyone was a potential donor, and organs were more readily available, the over-zealousness (is that a word?) of doctors to cut you up might diminish. It might also curtail the trafficking in human organs - although that probably doesn't happen much in this country.
-----------------
Granny

[Cider Boys]

Forgive me but I am a little confused – if you support all abortions because there are too many people in the world why would you want to prolong lives by transplants.

Barney

[alan refail]

Forgive me but I am a little confused – if you support all abortions because there are too many people in the world why would you want to prolong lives by transplants.

Barney

Barney

My thought entirely. We agree

Alan

[Tigger]

The procedure for confirming death is pretty robust these days, so it's highly unlikely that you'll wake up in the mortuary. Anyway, most people die at home, not in a hospital.

I think the change is long overdue. if people oppose it for religious or other reasons, they'll be motivated enough to opt out. The current system requires motivation to opt in.

If - as we're told - over half the British public don't have house or contents insurance, what hope do we have that they'll ever get around to thinking beyond their life on this earth.

[jopsy]

i can see the point
but if heaven forbid it was a loved one id like to think theyd stay whole rather than be bits all over the country
i try not to think about death-it scares me

[lizzie]

Both me and Big Andrew carry donor cards so that anything worth taking can help someone else. It's no good to you after you're dead.

I think the trouble is is that no-one wants to discuss death. They should. After all, it's the one thing that we can guarentee will happen to us all. Personally, i'm not afraid of it. I came pretty damn close several years ago so i'm not bothered.

My attitude now is live, love and laugh. It's a beautiful world and should be savered.

[madasafish]

Agree with Lizzie. When you are dead, try to be useful. Otherwise your body is wasted - burned or stuck in a coffin.

I'd rather be recycled:-)

{In fact, the selling of the concept of organ donation after death would probably be easier imo if the term "recycling" were adopted...any comments?)

[oldherbaceous]

I bagsy your sense of humour Lizzie, thats if you go before me of course.

Dear Jopsy death can't be a scary as being born, now that did scare me.

[jopsy]

i like to think im like peter pan-ill always be young, consequently death doesnt really enter into it

OH fancy recalling your birth!

[Brenjon]

I take great offence of the remarks of Geoff who says that the religious people who are against abortion are misguided and says that there are too many people in the world. Let us get it right. The termination of any life wether within or outside the womb is not abortion it is murder. I despise the material worldly people who wrap up the fact of the MURDER of helpless children in the womb with words like terminaion and wish people who murder a person born outside the womb to be caught and punished. Surely there is no difference. I repeat as much as you don't like the word IT IS MURDER.
BRENJON

[Brenjon]

I think the Cider Boys have got it excactly right
Brenjon

[Johnboy]

Hi Brendon,
I actually find that your posting causes me great offence and I somehow find your words to be far more extreme than Geoff's. Abortion I can reluctantly accept but Religious Intolerance has caused more trouble thoughout history than just about anything else and this I can never accept!
JB.