# Organ donation and tattoos **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 24, 2002, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-and-tattoos/144664 "2002-12-24T03:15:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-and-tattoos/144664/1 "2002-12-24T03:15:32Z")
I’m an organ donor. (You should be too!) I was talking to my mother about the relative merits of getting a tattoo, and she insists that you can’t ever donate your organs if you get one. I’ve been looking all over Google and nothing I’ve read mentions this, but I thought that I’d run it past you all to get the final confirmation. So can I get that Celtic trinity on my shoulder or just have someone draw it on with a sharpie? ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-and-tattoos/144664/2 "2002-12-24T03:22:29Z")
I haven’t heard that one before, and I can’t find any info on that specifically, but you might want to check out [Shareyourlife.org](http://www.shareyourlife.org/) which, I believe, is the official organ donor program site. Might be helpful. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-and-tattoos/144664/3 "2002-12-24T03:42:23Z")
Red Cross says [you can’t donate blood for 12 months](http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/blood/learn/eligibl.html#tattoo) after getting a tattoo. I can’t find anything about organs. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-and-tattoos/144664/4 "2002-12-24T05:48:26Z")
Recent information on the epidemiology of tattoo wearers has pretty much dispelled the prevailing “wisdom” about the rates of blood born illnesses among those with tatoos, compared with those without them. The CDC has not entirely lifted its concerns about tattoo procedures, but it no longer considers the procedure itself to be a risk, only the failure to properly follow sterile procedures. (http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/faq/faq27.htm"]Link Body art proponants claim that dentistry has a higher rate of infection for Hepatitis than tatooing. I cannot verify that. ## Tris “In my opinion, there’s nothing in this world, Beats a '52 Vincent, and a red headed girl.” ~ Richard Thompson ~ ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-and-tattoos/144664/5 "2002-12-24T05:51:59Z")
[Link](http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/faq/faq27.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-and-tattoos/144664/6 "2002-12-25T05:56:11Z")
If you don’t have hep or anything else, I don’t see why you couldn’t donate. I plan to donate, and I plan to (finally) get my tattoo. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-and-tattoos/144664/7 "2002-12-25T15:09:55Z")
I’m signed up as an organ donor as well as being registered with [HLA Registry Foundation](http://www.hlaregistry.org/) (blood marrow). My tattoos were not an issues in either case. ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-and-tattoos/144664/8 "2002-12-25T15:16:50Z")
My girlfriend has just been doing a bit of research on this. It appears that since organ donations are so needed and so rare, that they’re willing to take just about anyone’s as long as the organ itself is healthy. Specifically, tattoos are not a barrier to organ donation. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-and-tattoos/144664/9 "2002-12-25T16:46:40Z")
Now I’m imagining getting skin grafts with other people’s tattoos on them… interesting…