My Interest In Organ Donation Theme
Arguments of Inquiry
Interests/Concerns
There are many things that interest me about organ donation. The most obvious fact would be that it saves lives. I am also interested in the “Opt Out” policy. This is the idea that everyone is born a donor unless they say they do not want to be. Also, the general feeling of saving someone’s life if you donate.
My major concern is that the donors have to die in the operating room on the operating bed, as stated in “Some Must Die.” It seemed like towards the end of the donor’s life their only purpose was to save someone else’s life. This is what caused me to lean more towards being against organ donation in the beginning.
Initial Position
At first organ donation was kind of a gray area to me. I did not really care as to whether or not someone was a donor or not. The whole idea of organ donation seemed pointless to me. Even more so, the fact that people have made it into such a big deal that there are pro and anti donation activists. My stance on the topic was neutral, leaning more towards against donation due to the procedure of the operation. I did not like how the donator must die in a bed next to the person they are donating to. However, I did not have anything against those who were for donation.
Challenging My Initial Position (against)
There are about 99,979 people on the waiting list for organ donation (Unos). The population of the US is around 301,139,947 people. With some math we can figure that this means less than one percent of the population is need. So why is there still a problem getting donors? There is one simple answer; fear.
The majority of the population believes in many myths of organ donation. For example, if someone were to get seriously hurt in a car accident it is believed that the ambulance workers will not try to save their life (MayoClinic). In a discussion panel, Cheri Peters explained, “[that you] must die in a hospital bed in order to donate.” This simple fact negates many of the myths about organ donation. What if someone had the possibility of coming back after being declared dead? There are actually more tests run on people who are signed up as donors to be sure of their death than those who are not, so coming back could never be a concern (MayoClinic).
I heard a heartwarming story by a donor recipient named Lee Adams. He explained how his life was fine and then out of nowhere he started getting sick and weak. Lee came to find out that he had a liver disease. He explained the struggles he went through, but how still stayed in it and kept pushing through. The story goes that after seven years of being on the waiting list he finally received his liver.
Reflections on My Initial Position
The story that Lee Adams gave about his life was my turning point for becoming entirely for organ donation. He made me realize how important it is to help people live. I used to think that organ donation was something that was not that important. However, Lee’s story made me connect with his insight to life. He had a family, a family that he was too young to leave behind. This made me think about my family and how I would do anything for them, even if it meant giving them my organs when I pass.
Therefore, there are too many great things that I have researched about organ donation to be against it in any way. Through Lee Adams’ story and my research, every ounce of negation to organ donation has left me. All I have left to do is sign up.
