I was signed up to have my corneas donated, since being blind freaks me out and it would be cool to give someone else sight. But then it squicked me out too to think of my eyes being dissected. I would definitely consider giving a kidney or marrow or things I could give while I was alive, but I am not signed up to give after I’m dead. I also wouldn’t expect to receive an organ either, so I think that’s fair.
Yes. Have been since I was 16.
My husband is now as well, but he wasn’t when I met him. I’m not sure why he wasn’t, and I’m not sure what made him change his mind, but out of the blue about 2 years ago he just said something like “If anything happens to me I want my organs to be donated.”
My youngest son (who is 16) is applying for his DL/permit and it came up as it’s on the application. So we were discussing this just last week. He said yes, he would like to be a donor.
I can’t describe how that felt, hearing him say that. A very odd mix of pride and pain. It’s not something a parent really wants to think about.
I’ve been trying to donate my organ for years but … huh?
Yes. Organ donor here.
When I was first applying for my DL at 16, I asked for the sticker. Gave my dad a quick “is this ok?” look - then signed the card.
I’m in Texas where next of kins consent matters, so I got home and talked it over with my parents. They agreed, but I never thought about how hard that would be for them.
But I’m on the “share 'em when I’m done” plan, though the idea of donating my body to a med school squicks me out. A CSI body farm would be a cool kind of gross.
I’m not an organ donor. I honestly feel like it’s a jinx; that is, I’ll die sooner or something. I’m also in big denial about dying at all, and being an organ donor definitely takes the denial out of it. Also, I belive in the Resurrection of the Body and who knows that I might not need all my parts at the Last Judgement, seriously?
Damn straight I am. What the fuck use do I have for them when I’m gone? I’ll be dead. Squiked out by it? Again, I"ll be DEAD! How can you be squiked out by it now? They aren’t going to come in the middle of the night to rip your liver out.
My opinion of some people here has lowered from this thread. Honestly, not donating out of spite, or because you think the doctors will let you die so they can get your organs, or it will ‘jinx’ you and you’ll die early? Wow…just wow.
I am. I’d like them to take whatever they can use and cremate anything that’s left. I kind of like the idea of parts of me living on in someone else. (Certainly my blood & platelets are floating around in all kinds of people). Who cares if the person getting them drank their way to a damaged liver or whatever. Is that going to make me any less dead? (Also, I don’t get being squicked out. It can’t possibly be grosser than what happens in the ground. Hasn’t anyone ever seen roadkill that’s been dead a couple of days?)
I had a boyfriend who was insistant that if you checked the donor card the ER wouldn’t try to save you. I was so disgusted by that it really changed my perception of him. I can’t believe people think doctors would do that. (Turning off the machines on a coma patient is a different ball of wax, but I fear being Terry Sciavo way, way more than I fear death, so I’d like them to turn off the machines while I still have some dignity anyway)
Cousins of mine lost their oldest child to a choking accident as an infant, and her organs were donated. I know they still get yearly letters from the family of baby who got her heart, who’s now a happy & healthy 20-something. According to my mom they really love getting them.
I’m an organ donor. I figure I’ll be done using them, so if someone can get use out of something, despite the mileage and a few dings (one heart, slightly broken), by all means take whatever you can use and may you get long life and pleasure out of it!
Religious reasons for not donating organs has been brought up in this thread. For me, there’s a bit of a religious reason in my decision to become an organ donor. It’s tied into that whole, “what you do for the least of my brothers, so you do also for me” business in Matthew. With all due respect to Creaky, if God is going to begrudge me the use of my eyes or my liver because I donated some things to someone who needs them after I’m done using them, I may be worshipping the wrong Deity! :eek:
Well, that’s just ridiculo-- ack! erk! THUD
That’s a good point and I’m frankly glad you feel that way.
I guess the thing about religious beliefs is that we’re all just trying to figure out what the best thing to do is, as far as God wants us to. My beliefs are based on my traditional Catechism (which according to my religion is what I do think God wants me to do) more than anything else, but it’s what I believe.
And Jodi, :see? I told you! Early death! Early death! Beware the Designation of the Body Parts! 
Since you mentioned Catechism, I assume you’re Catholic:
From here.
AFAIK, they only oppose organ donation in the case of someone being taken off life support for their organs. But if they are completely dead, no brain signs, no organ function, then by all means they would love for you to donate them. It’s one of the few truly selfless acts someone can do.
I’m Episcopalian. According to what I was taught, I believe that at the Last Judgement Christ will return to earth and call us all from the grave, where we’ve been in essentially a sort of stasis. That’s what that bit in the Apostles’ Creed is about “the resurrection of the body”, if I understand correctly.
I was taught that it’s better to have all of your parts intact for that eventuality. I guess I feel that I would have been granted many opportunities to practice charity while I am alive as opposed to when I’m dead. Again, this is what I personally believe. I hope that helps clarify things a bit?
I may be, very soon. My young nephew has been in NICU for 17 of his 19 days, and will need a liver in a couple of months.
Even if I’m not a match for him, I’m going on the registry, as is damned near everyone I know.
A friend of my wife’s is. She gave her mum’s old Hammond to a church.
Absolutely, I am an organ/tissue/eye/whatever-the-hell-you-can-use donor.
I’m stunned by some of the responses here. I trust those of you who are against donation have never had a loved one that needed an organ transplant to survive? How do you think these transplants happen? There’s a Kidneys-R-Us where the surgeon can order online?
Seriously, I’m shocked that such a group of well educated people can be so closed-minded about such an important issue.
The one “buy” are the people who object on “religious reasons”. Faith is not based on scientific fact so I guess I can understand that. But any of the other reasons (e.g. it’s icky) is just not logical.
For those of you who object to organ donation, am I to understand that you also would refuse to ACCEPT an organ donation. Lets say you wake up tomorrow and your 30-year-old heart has decided to go on permanent vacation. At the same time, somewhere in this world a 30-year-old organ donor has died an untimely, tragic death but still has a healthy heart available for you to live to see your next birthday. Would you refuse to live… because it’s icky?
Most definitely. What the hell am I going to do with perfectly good organs once dead?
Sure, my uncle had a heart transplant. Actually he missed the first time he was called in for one, because he was out of the pager range on a wining and dining trip to Napa. Now he’s got the new heart and still eats prime rib and bacon like it’s going out of style - no doubt exacerbated by the fact that although he has a new heart, he’s being eaten alive by cancer and still counts the days until he dies. I have the same fucking genetics, and as soon as I saw my LDL go above 200 you bet your sweet ass I made some changes in my life. The kind of life that comes with having an organ transplant is not one worth living to me, and I will do everything in my power (and that’s a lot!) to avoid such a fate.
I freely admit that not wanting to donate is completely irrational on my part. Someone else upthread said they didn’t want to donate their body to science because they were afraid of having their body treated disrespectfully - same principle here applies, except I get to see the disrespect before I even shuffle off this mortal coil. I know that my anxiety about it is irrational, but when I hear these shitty comments, organ donation gets knocked down to lowest priority of my list of irrational beliefs I should examine more logically. I can say I would absolutely give a kidney or half my liver or whatever to a family member though.
But like I said upthread, I constantly hear the “organ donor” comment, and I find it offensive. I don’t tell my friends that live in a bad part of town “Oooh you live in the ghetto! I hope you have your organ donor card!” or a soldier “Getting deployed, huh? I call your liver, nyuk nyuk! Don’t booze too hard!” People say things like this to my husband, who commutes on his motorcycle and it sounds like an anticipation bordering on hopefulness that he is going to crash and die. I find that deeply, deeply disrespectful.
And seeing as how I just met my gallon blood donor milestone, ya’ll can bite me.
Yes, of course I am. I also have trouble understanding any reasons why one wouldn’t be…saving people’s lives trumps any level of “icky” I can think of.
I am on my license. I’m also gay which prevents the use of my tissues. I’m not sure how that works out. I don’t carry a homosexual card but do carry a license. Is it don’t know don’t check give that man a liver? I figure once I’m dead my obligations have ended and someone else can figure it out.
You can leave your parts where they are and put them in the ground, but I assure you that will not keep them “intact”.