Essay On Reverse On Organ Donation

In 2011, approximately 2.5 million Americans died (Hoyert & Xu 2). Some of those people were fortunate to live a long and heathy life while for others, their lives were physically painful and tragically short. We cannot choose how well or how long we will live - that is outside our control. This is especially true for the more than 123,000 people who are currently on organ transplant lists (Facts and Myths). Although we will all die, people awaiting transplants know that without a replacement their lives will be shorter than if they had healthy organs. It is tragic that nearly sixty percent of those on wait lists will pass before a transplant becomes available despite the large number of potential organs existing as a result of the natural annual death rate (Cotter 599). More needs to be done to match the healthy organs from the deceased to those who have a need. The best option to increase the rate of organ donation in the United States is to pass legislation in favor of reverse-onus organ donation.
Reverse …show more content…
Reverse onus places the responsibility of determining a choice one way or the other concerning organ donation in the hands of the individual and does not “presume” to consent for anyone. Thus, this is not taking the choice away from anyone. It would simply compel people into indicating their decision ahead of time if they felt strongly enough about not donating, knowing that by refraining from making a choice the decision would default towards organ donation. This takes the moral and ethical dilemma that families face at the time of a loved one’s death out of their hands. It would alleviate any guilt felt by the family in having to make a choice at a time when they are grieving for their loved one’s death. Unless people clearly and openly refuse to donate, organ donation should be