Organ Donation 1. ”I’m donating my kidney to a stranger” is an article written by journalist Richard Wilson in 2008. The article is about Paula MacKinnon, who is thought to be the first altruistic organ donor in Scotland. Paula’s mother, Katherine, suffered kidney failure in 2007, and Paula wanted to donate her kidney to her mother. However their blood groups weren’t compatible, so Paula decided to donate her kidney anyway, to whoever might need it. Neither of Paula’s parents was particularly fond of this idea, but Paula is the kind of person, who will help anyone in need. Paula’s husband, Colin, understands why she is donating her kidney. They are both BBC journalists and highly involved in charity. Colin worked on a programme about orphaned children in Ukraine in 2006, and Paula went there to help for three months.

2. The first text, “We must change the organ donation system” by Denis Campbell, describes (as the title implies) how Britain needs an update of their organ donation system. Three people die in Britain every day, due to shortage of organs, so his solution would be to adopt the “presumed content” system, just like many other European countries have done. The presumed content system allows surgeons to retrieve the organs of a dead citizen, unless said citizen has already refused permission for them to do so, or if their family members object.
The second text, “The Ethics of Organ Donation by Living Donors” by Robert D. Truog, describes three categories of organ donation by living donors to be distinguished: directed donation, nondirected donation and directed donation to a stranger. He describes the ethical issues of each category. The issue with directed donation, in which a donor donates an organ to a loved one, is the pressure on the family members or friends. Those who are reluctant to donate an organ will feel coerced to donate an organ. Another issue with directed donation can be if someone wants to donate an organ, regardless of the consequences to themselves. Some people might be willing to donate a vital organ to save a loved one, which means the doctors would have to remove a vital organ from a perfectly healthy person, to save a sick person. Then there is nondirected donation, in which a donor gives an organ to the general pool, to be transplanted into the recipient at the top of the waiting list. Truog thinks all donors should pass a psychology test, after he read about donor who decided to donate a kidney, and got so obsessed with donating that he decided to give away all of his organs, and committed suicide. The last category is directed donation to a stranger. In this case a donor can give an organ to a stranger, but they get to choose the patient based on their race, religion or ethnic group. In Florida it is prohibited for patients or family members to make such restrictions on donation.

3. ”… an organ is a ‘gift of life’. Not a commodity to be bought and sold.” I could not agree more with this quote. Organs should be donated by people who want to help, they shouldn’t be stolen from poor people in third world countries, and it is just sad that some people find themselves compelled to sell their organs, to provide for their families. Some might say that buying organs benefits both parties, but buying an organ is really just a selfish act, seeing how the donor doesn’t give away the organ because they want to, but rather because they have to. Honestly, we do not need our organs when we die, and if more people would consider being organ donors, we could save a lot of otherwise healthy people. Who knows? It might even save the life of the person, who will someday find the cure for cancer. Imagine how many lives that could safe in the end.

4. Register as an organ donor today rather than tomorrow.
Did you know that every day three people die in Britain, because they need an organ? And did you know that one dead organ donor can save up to 50 lives? Every month 3700 people need an organ in America, and every day 10,000 people die in America. Only 2300 people receive an organ each month. That is a lot of organs just disappearing in the ground every day, which could have saved people instead. Take a minute to think about what a person’s life is worth. Then take a minute to think about how much value your organs have to you after you’re dead. It could be you who one day will need an organ in order to survive. It could be your mother, your husband, your child etc. Wouldn’t you be just a tiny bit frustrated to lose your most precious people, because someone thought they would need their organs in the grave? Register as an organ donor today rather than tomorrow. You never know what tomorrow might bring.