Automatic Opt-in/Opt-Out Method: a Better Way to Donate
Automatic Opt-in: A Better Way to Save Lives In the United States there is a waiting list for organs. People die every day on that waiting list clinging to the hope that some person somewhere will donate a kidney or a liver and save their life. This hope is quickly dying out as the waiting list gets bigger each day. People are not donating their organs. America should be searching for ways to restore hope to these individuals and their families. There needs to be a change in the way the organ donation system is set up. The system in place for organ donation is not effective. As of right now you have to manually opt-in on your driver’s license or get a card that says you want to donate. This is not the best method for organ donors, or those waiting for donations. Automatic opt-in, or the opt-out method may be the solution to the ever growing list of patients waiting for a postmortem organ.
The waiting list for patients in need of organs is growing daily. It is shocking to find that “As of April 13, 2011, there were 110,758 individuals on the waiting list for an organ transplant in the United States” (Cotter, 2011, para 1). This waiting list can be greatly diminished by changing the way we donate and initiating automatic opt-in laws. Organ donation is not something most people think about, nor is it usually discussed among loved ones. This causes problems for many when put in a situation that lends itself to donation. It is said that “in the United States of America, next of kin withhold consent for organ donation in 47% of eligible cases” (Newton, 2011, para. 1). If automatic opt-in laws are integrated, this problem can easily be significantly reduced. Families would not have to worry about their loved ones wanting to be an organ donor or not, and the loved ones would not have to worry about putting that burden on their families.
Families may not realize that their loved one is likely open to organ donation, in fact the majority Americans
The waiting list for patients in need of organs is growing daily. It is shocking to find that “As of April 13, 2011, there were 110,758 individuals on the waiting list for an organ transplant in the United States” (Cotter, 2011, para 1). This waiting list can be greatly diminished by changing the way we donate and initiating automatic opt-in laws. Organ donation is not something most people think about, nor is it usually discussed among loved ones. This causes problems for many when put in a situation that lends itself to donation. It is said that “in the United States of America, next of kin withhold consent for organ donation in 47% of eligible cases” (Newton, 2011, para. 1). If automatic opt-in laws are integrated, this problem can easily be significantly reduced. Families would not have to worry about their loved ones wanting to be an organ donor or not, and the loved ones would not have to worry about putting that burden on their families.
Families may not realize that their loved one is likely open to organ donation, in fact the majority Americans
References: Cotter, H. (2011,). Increasing consent for organ donation: mandated choice, individual autonomy, and informed consent. Health Matrix, 21(2), 599 Cutler, J. A. (2002). Donation benefit to organ donor families: a current debate. Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 15(2), 133