Organ Donation
Last summer, I got my junior driver’s license. It wasn’t something that I was super excited about, because driving is pretty stressful for me, but it was nice to be able to go to work or swim practice on my own. While I was there, they asked me if I wanted to be an organ donor. I said yes, but I didn’t realize how controversial it was.
When we got home, my mom yelled at me, and said that by being an organ donor, doctors wouldn’t try as hard to save me if I were to get into an accident. My mom works in the medical field, so I was kind of surprised and a little alarmed to be hearing this from her. Upon asking my father (who is also a medical professional) and doing some research of my own, I came to the conclusion that her worries were unfounded. But why would she believe that in the first place?
Turns out, the origins of this myth tend to be born out of paranoia and urban legends than anything else. First of all, doctors take the Hippocratic Oath when they get their licenses to practice medicine. Even though it isn’t legally binding, they still take it very seriously. However, you know what is legal? Prosecuting negligent doctors for malpractice. If you can prove that the hospital, doctor or other health care professional caused injury to a patient because of willful negligence, you can take them to court. Fear of lawsuits, if nothing else, has kept the majority of doctors in line.
I’m not saying that my mother and others like her were wrong to worry; the US medical community has had a checkered history, especially with their treatment of minority groups. But you have nothing to worry about as far as being an organ donor. Thousands of people across America are waiting for an organ transplant, and you would have the opportunity to change their lives for the better if you were a donor.
Also, while we’re here, I hope you will consider donating blood, if you’re eligible. Blood is always a valuable commodity, and can mean the difference between life and death for a lot of people. I believe that the school is setting up a blood drive in early April, so I hope to see some of you there!
I made the same decision when I got my license and I honestly didn’t give it a second thought. If my organs could be used to save someone else’s life, I am all for the process and I was very eager to have that written on my license. Now that you bring up your mother’s worries, it makes sense the me where she is coming from. She is concerned because you are her daughter and she has unique insight being that she is in the medical field. However, I think it is a very noble thing to become an organ donor and make sure that if you are ever in a situation where your life might end, it can also be an opportunity for someone else’s life to begin.
ReplyDeleteMy sister actually just got her license today and we were talking about the question that was asked about being an organ donor. She sadly said no because she was too stressed and nervous to even think about that, but that's not the point. I never thought about that maybe doctors would do that but I'd like to believe that they never would. I think to be a doctor you have to care greatly about the lives of others, so I don't think they would actually just let someone die on purpose. They probably don't even check if your an organ donor or not before you actually die.
ReplyDeleteMy mom mentioned this when I became an organ donor during the process of getting my license. Thanks for sharing the origins behind it, I'm very happy to hear doctor's murdering me for my organs isn't a thing.
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