Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
The truth of the matter is that the consent rate had dropped precipitously after adopting a mandated decision. Apparently, residents of TX & VA resented being told that had to make a decision they didn't want (or weren't ready) to make, and answered "No" in droves.

Yes, citizens are growing skeptics of their government. There are enough bad examples of governments around the world to serve as examples of what ours could one day become.

Organ donation is a very personal choice. The act of deciding to make the choice is personal- so having the government make you decide is a bit much IMHO. What next, you have to declare whether you believe in God (yes/no) to get a voter registration card? Some skeptics of organ donation are scared that doctors might pull the plug on them too early if they have healthy organs that can be harvested. Doctors are sworn to uphold human life, but I can imagine out of a 100,000 doctors, one might decide that the best way to uphold human life is to part someone out if there is only a 20% chance they'll make it. So maybe that 20% becomes 0% when the doc talks to the family. I know of absolutely NO career path where there has not been at least one example of someone violating something they were sworn to uphold. e.g., a solider goes crazy, a priest molests a child, etc.

Again, I think that is such a remote possibility that it shouldn't discourage anyone from being a donor. But you know what- when people feel like the decision is being forced on them, they'll no doubt start re-considering everything. They'll start wondering if the same pressure will be put on their power of attorney when they are laying in a hospital bed, unable to make decisions for themselves.
 
Wow, amazing. Yet another rich organ donee that didn't do anything to push organ transplants until they needed one. For more references, see David Crosby and Phil Lesh.

The fact that he needed an organ transplant is exactly why he is able to help on this issue. I can only imagine how effective he'd be speaking on obesity or racial discrimination.
 
I wa curious about the speech but I couldn't actually watch it ( all I could see was a blue icon on my iPhone because someone won't allow flash on it).
 
Thanks. I'm glad I now have your permission.

The fact is that if you do have an opt-out system, rather than an opt-in system, the government (or the big medical shadow government against which Obama has been railing for a year or so, if you like) would have first dibs on my organs. If my license or government-issued ID has a sticker that says "I'm a donor!", I'm pretty sure that my family would respect "my wishes" and let 'em gut me.

And the issue against which I was speaking was not organ donation. I want my organs, even when I'm dead. I'm totally fine with you giving yours up. That's your choice. I'm totally against opt-out donation rolls, which is all I was saying. And I was mocking the guy to whom I was replying, but that's just out of habit.

So I'm curious as to whether you would accept an organ if you needed one? Or would you continue to stand on your principles and refuse, so that you could take all of your own organs to your (impending) grave?
 
Yes, citizens are growing skeptics of their government. There are enough bad examples of governments around the world to serve as examples of what ours could one day become.

Organ donation is a very personal choice. The act of deciding to make the choice is personal- so having the government make you decide is a bit much IMHO. What next, you have to declare whether you believe in God (yes/no) to get a voter registration card? Some skeptics of organ donation are scared that doctors might pull the plug on them too early if they have healthy organs that can be harvested. Doctors are sworn to uphold human life, but I can imagine out of a 100,000 doctors, one might decide that the best way to uphold human life is to part someone out if there is only a 20% chance they'll make it. So maybe that 20% becomes 0% when the doc talks to the family. I know of absolutely NO career path where there has not been at least one example of someone violating something they were sworn to uphold. e.g., a solider goes crazy, a priest molests a child, etc.

Again, I think that is such a remote possibility that it shouldn't discourage anyone from being a donor. But you know what- when people feel like the decision is being forced on them, they'll no doubt start re-considering everything. They'll start wondering if the same pressure will be put on their power of attorney when they are laying in a hospital bed, unable to make decisions for themselves.

The odd thing here, coming from someone who lives in Virginia, is that I'm pretty sure the DMV sheet has a Yes/No question for organ donation currently. This makes the original poster's whole point suspect, to me at least.

And in reference to betraying your oath or whatever, I can think of multiple other ways this hypothetical crazy doctor could do much worse. Say he claims 0% instead of 20% because he just doesn't want to the do the work of saving your loved one. Same outcome for you, easier time for him. Either way, the ensuing malpractice suit isn't going to bring your loved one back, but at least someone else maybe got to live. The problem wouldn't be with the organ donation policy, but instead with that individual doctor. It's not like this is the only situation that a bad doctor can affect you and the current laws are holding them at bay.
 
Thanks. I'm glad I now have your permission.

The fact is that if you do have an opt-out system, rather than an opt-in system, the government (or the big medical shadow government against which Obama has been railing for a year or so, if you like) would have first dibs on my organs. If my license or government-issued ID has a sticker that says "I'm a donor!", I'm pretty sure that my family would respect "my wishes" and let 'em gut me.

And the issue against which I was speaking was not organ donation. I want my organs, even when I'm dead. I'm totally fine with you giving yours up. That's your choice. I'm totally against opt-out donation rolls, which is all I was saying. And I was mocking the guy to whom I was replying, but that's just out of habit.

I should probably just let this go, since this thread is sooo yesterday:), but just in case you are not clear: THERE IS NO GOVERNMENT AGENCY THAT DOES (OR WILL) HARVEST ORGANS AND TISSUES. Stop creating boogeymen--unless you really need that (like most conservative talk radio and faux news...ALL OUTRAGE ALL THE TIME!). The government is simply assisting non-profit donor programs in getting the word out and assuring some sort of structure in identifying donors, so that when time is short there is already some basis upon which to talk to the next of kin. There is no Big Conspiracy to deprive you of your now useless, decaying organs when you die. They'll just move on to someone who was willing to give.
 
My grandmother worked as an accountant for Methodist in Memphis. She has since retired. She sent me the Methodist internal email that was released soon after he had the transplant. Pretty cool read at the time, though we all know where he was and what he was having done today.
 
I am personally sickened by some peoples reactions on here.

Who knows how much Jobs or Apple has donated to charity in his time? So don't say he's never donated anything. You don't know. It's not your business. It's between SJ and any charities he has dealt with.

You don't know about any voluntary work he has done... Why? Because it's none of your god damned business.

He's a private man. That is his RIGHT. It means that his private life is just that. Private.

So what if in the past he was a douche. Bill Gates was also a douche. Ballmer is still a douche.

People can change. He's had something affect him. He got lucky. He knows it and has made a decision to publicly back something. Again. His right, and fair play to him. /Thread
 
I should probably just let this go, since this thread is sooo yesterday:), but just in case you are not clear: THERE IS NO GOVERNMENT AGENCY THAT DOES (OR WILL) HARVEST ORGANS AND TISSUES. Stop creating boogeymen--unless you really need that (like most conservative talk radio and faux news...ALL OUTRAGE ALL THE TIME!). The government is simply assisting non-profit donor programs in getting the word out and assuring some sort of structure in identifying donors, so that when time is short there is already some basis upon which to talk to the next of kin. There is no Big Conspiracy to deprive you of your now useless, decaying organs when you die. They'll just move on to someone who was willing to give.

Yeah, no, got that, thanks. But if the system was opt-out, it would likely be governmental. And, if you can remember back that far, we were talking about an opt-out system originally.
 
So I'm curious as to whether you would accept an organ if you needed one? Or would you continue to stand on your principles and refuse, so that you could take all of your own organs to your (impending) grave?

Hey, I respect your right to choose allow your organs to be donated. I just don't want to give up mine.
 
Wow, amazing. Yet another rich organ donee that didn't do anything to push organ transplants until they needed one. For more references, see David Crosby and Phil Lesh.

Come on, put yourself in his place. You would've done exactly the same thing.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.