Organ Donation

[Scotty Mac]

But surely that's taking into account that you go somewhere when you die?

After you die your body just beomes tissue surely? What's the point of it being put in a hole in the ground when it could have saved someone's life?

as i said, i am on the donor list, so when i do snuff it then hopefully my body will do some good in the world

there are people out there though who wouldnt want to give organs for their own personal reasons. to assume that because somebody hasn't opted out that they would be perfectly happy to have theirs given away would be naive, especially as we live in a society now were the letter of the law is based around facts, as opposed to asumptions

 

[1066familyman]

But surely that's taking into account that you go somewhere when you die?

After you die your body just beomes tissue surely? What's the point of it being put in a hole in the ground when it could have saved someone's life?

Glad you used the ?'s

 

[1066familyman]

there are people out there though who wouldnt want to give organs for their own personal reasons. to assume that because somebody hasn't opted out that they would be perfectly happy to have theirs given away would be naive, especially as we live in a society now were the letter of the law is based around facts, as opposed to asumptions

Spot on !

Unfortunately, that's the arrogance of 'medical science' for you though.

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

ON BALANCE I totally agree with you, I believe doctors to be primarily motivated by altruism and I take my hat off to 'em ( though I'm uncomfortable with those who split their time between the NHS and private sector )

No, I don't trust any government as far as i can throw them.

Personally I'm not a fan of 'medical science'. I don't like the reductionist approach that treats living beings as mere objects to be tinkered with like machines so we can all have longer and longer life spans and enjoy ' better quality of life' ( whatever the f*** that is ! ) It all smacks of eugenics in the long run to me I'm afraid.

I believe your organs belong to you, along with the free will that GOD gave everyone. Do what you like with them. But I don't see why anyone should have to defend their beliefs to anyone if those beliefs ain't hurting anyone.

What do you make of using animal organs in humans ?
Didn't Gordon Brown back mixing animal & human stem cells for research recently ? FRIGHTENING !

So what do you do when you need an operation? At the end of the day every medical intervention is 'medical science'. When you look at the quality of life argument, everyone normally thinks of the elderly living longer, but not necessarily better, but when you look at younger people in hospitals, medical science can actually give people a bettr quality of life. Looking at it from a personal rather superficial view - my toe to hand transplant that was done 9 years ago certainly improved my quality of life.

I don't think that god gave me anything, because he doesnt exist in my eyes, so i suppose that religion may play a part in your view about medical science.

If animal organs work in humans, why shouldn't they be used? The useage of pig valves in heart surgery certainly looks interesting, and could save many lives. I'm all for it if it works. I think the fear around it is from the sort of Frankenstein stories really.

The animal / human embryo thing is certainly interesting. Again, if they find a cure for something then surely it's only good? It's not like a mutant baby is going to grow or anything!!!

The main issue when we look at the whole transplant / embryo research is the desperate need for America to allow stem cell research. It would be amazing if some real breakthroughs are made.

 

[Lush]

If animal organs work in humans, why shouldn't they be used? The useage of pig valves in heart surgery certainly looks interesting, and could save many lives. I'm all for it if it works. I think the fear around it is from the sort of Frankenstein stories really.

The animal / human embryo thing is certainly interesting. Again, if they find a cure for something then surely it's only good? It's not like a mutant baby is going to grow or anything!!!

The main issue when we look at the whole transplant / embryo research is the desperate need for America to allow stem cell research. It would be amazing if some real breakthroughs are made.

Exactly. If your mum's Parkinson's Disease could be cured thanks to research using some pig and human cells isn't this an amazing thing, not a frightening thing?

 

[The Face]

Definitely opt out if it means more lives will be saved.

On a similar note, I gave blood for the first time last month - perhaps they should consider a similar system there as it's in short supply. Only 5% of the population are registered donors which is shocking as it makes no difference to the donor themselves (ok maybe a bit of bruising/nausea) whereas it's so vital in saving lives.

 

[1066familyman]

So what do you do when you need an operation? At the end of the day every medical intervention is 'medical science'. When you look at the quality of life argument, everyone normally thinks of the elderly living longer, but not necessarily better, but when you look at younger people in hospitals, medical science can actually give people a bettr quality of life. Looking at it from a personal rather superficial view - my toe to hand transplant that was done 9 years ago certainly improved my quality of life.

I don't think that god gave me anything, because he doesnt exist in my eyes, so i suppose that religion may play a part in your view about medical science.

If animal organs work in humans, why shouldn't they be used? The useage of pig valves in heart surgery certainly looks interesting, and could save many lives. I'm all for it if it works. I think the fear around it is from the sort of Frankenstein stories really.

The animal / human embryo thing is certainly interesting. Again, if they find a cure for something then surely it's only good? It's not like a mutant baby is going to grow or anything!!!

The main issue when we look at the whole transplant / embryo research is the desperate need for America to allow stem cell research. It would be amazing if some real breakthroughs are made.

I honestly don't know what I'd do if I needed an operation of any kind. Operations come in all sorts of guises and I'd like to think I'd be able to weigh everything up without compromising my beliefs.

If you believe solely in a physical existence and nothing more, then it's perfectly logical to view all living beings as mere constructions of component parts and treat them accordingly. I happen not to share that view.

Do you honestly not foresee any problems with crossing species ? Blimey, the bodies natural instinct is to reject foreign organs from it's OWN species as it is.


My concern about 'quality of life' and today's society is shared by some disability rights campaign groups. If medical science ( accepted, it's a bit of a catch all term and frankenstein stories ARE over played ) and societies law makers had it's way, many of the people I work with on a daily basis wouldn't even be here. And I find that very sad.

 

[maffew]

Definately Opt IN (IMO)

1066familyman has given most of my reasons

 

[Gully]

One thing that just occurred to me is that a lot of people who die will probably not be suitable to donate anyway, if for example they are dying from old age the organs may be too old to be of any real use, or they may themselves be ending their life due to some form of illness or disease that has resulted in organ failure.

I am guessing here, I have no access to any research or figures, that the ideal organ donor is someone who has ended their life unexpectedly or at a fairly young age. I would think it likely that the ideal donor had also led a fairly healthy lifestyle...I suspect that a fairly high proportion of people who die would not be suitable...would you want to inherit the lungs of someone who had died at the age of 60 and who had smoked 40 a day since their late teens...mind you, if it was a matter of life or death it might be a price worth paying.