One of
the major problems with organ donation is that people don’t want to acknowledge
their mortality. It’s difficult to think about what will happen when you are
dead, and it may seem weird for someone to take your organs. Other people are
indifferent, apathetic, or don't want to take the time to opt-in when they get their license.
Consider
Germany and Austria, which are very similar countries. Germany has an opt-in
system and a 12% donor rate, while Austria has an opt-out system and a 99% donor rate!
Here’s another comparison: Spain, with an opt-out system, currently leads the
world with 34.4 deceased donors per million people, while the U.S., with an
opt-in system, has 21.9. Clearly the default matters in this situation. The
government is taking a stance and telling people what it recommends, and this
greatly affects how people respond. In opt-out programs where the default is
being an organ donor, there are higher donor rates.
Illinois has an
interesting system called “mandated choice,” in which people are required
indicate their preference. As a result, they have a 60% donor rate compared
with the national rate of 38%. This program is a step in the right direction,
as it at least solves the problem of people being indifferent or not taking the
time to consider organ donation.
One of
the major criticisms of the opt-out program is that freedom and liberty are
being compromised. However, this is not the case because you still give each
person the opportunity to opt out, and it is ultimately his or her
responsibility to make this choice. Another potential problem
is that an opt-out program may not actually increase organ donation rates, as
Johns Hopkins researchers suggest. They say that physicians always approach the
family members of the deceased and ask whether they would still like to donate
their loved one’s organs. The family gets to make the final decision,
regardless of the deceased’s intentions. I can see where they are coming from
because you want to be respectful of the grieving family. However, people don’t
always think the most clearly when they are emotional and grieving. Further,
this limits the autonomy of the deceased, as they may have wished to have their
organs donated. If this were followed more strictly, perhaps we would have more
organs donated, especially if we switched to an opt-out program.
Adopting an opt-out program in the U.S. would definitely increase the donor
rate, which is a step in the right direction. More stringent enforcement of
people’s wishes by doctors would enable this to be carried out, decrease the organ shortage, and save thousands of lives.