Organ Donation

Organ donation is a topic which contains many conflicting views.  To some of the public population organ 
donation is a genuine way of saving the life of another, to some it is mistrusted and to others it is not fully 
understood.  There are some techniques that can be used to increase donation.  Of these techniques the most 
crucial would be being educated.  If the life threatening and the critical shortage of organs was fully 
understood by the public, organ donation would more likely be on the rise.  An effort is needed throughout 
the world to make people aware of the benefits this process contains.

Advances in medical technology have made it possible to save someone’s
life by a process of organ donation.  However, the scarcity of available organs
is bringing the beneficial process down.  By becoming an organ donor, people 
engage in improving someone else’s life at no cost.  Although the question of
religious or moral cost comes into effect, virtually there is no physical cost
of becoming an organ donor.  Organ donation should be seen as the "gift of life"
but there are not enough logical explanations to explain this phrase.  Whether 
people are donors, non-donors or recipients, all the public should be aware that 
organ donation is for the common welfare.

Organ Donation-Why People Become Donors   
	The main reason an individual becomes an organ donor is to give someone the "gift of life."  By 
giving someone this privilege a person feels they are adding to another
person’s life.  Some reasons people give this gift is simply from having a kind heart, they may find the 
other person’s use for the organ more important than their need or maybe just because they just have no use 
for the organ.  In certain circumstances a family will give consent of a deceased one’s organ in hope of 
easing their pain and sorrow.  They feel by aiding in another life it will take some of their grief away.  
Organ donors compared to non-donors seem to be highly motivated and a bit more medically sophisticated.  
Those individuals who decide to become organ donors are those in our population who are willing to better 
other’s life.

Organ Donation-Why People Do Not Become Donors
Organ donation to some people is not the "gift of life," but "dying not whole."  Religious aspects play a big 
role in why people don’t become donors, despite the fact that all major religious support organ donation to 
save lives.  Moral beliefs also play into this issue regardless of religion.  Several non-donors feel that 
physicians will terminate life support if they are aware of their wishes to be a donor.  Another reason 
people chose not to become donors is they do not have enough knowledge on the topic.  Those who are not 
donors tend to seem more suspicious and distrustful.  Many non-donors have an overall mistrust of the 
medical community.  Non-donors simply mistrust the organ donation system.  They have mistrust for the 
system in regards to physicians and who physicians will award an organ to.

Organ Donation-Public Education Needed
	For organ donation to increase, efforts must be directed to those who are not convinced that 
donation is for the common welfare.  One way to increase organ donation is for physicians to educate their 
patients better regarding the benefits and success of transplantation.  Public education about organ donation 
and volunteering for donation is needed.  There should be more investments in public education programs 
to promote the idea of organ donation.  Neither donors or non-donors have enough knowledge on this topic.  
Currently in the U.S. an effort to educate the public is underway.  This effort is referred to as the Coalition 
on Donation and Advertising Council.  The goal of this coalition is to ensure every individual in the U.S. 
understands the need for organ donation and accepts it as a human responsibility.

Organ Donation-Ways to Increase Awareness   
	organ donation is in serious need for more participants.  Medical technology has made it possible 
to give people a second chance at life and our public population is bringing this chance down.  Educational 
efforts remain most important to increase the success of donation.  The public needs to recognize the 
benefits of such a process.  The role of a family must also improve.  Although families have the authority to 
refuse donation of their deceased one, they also have the opportunity to give a person a second chance of 
life, or better said the ‘gift of life."