Why Organ Donation Should Be Mandatory

I believe that Organ Donation should be mandatory. Why? Because anyone can donate, it doesn’t matter if you’re healthy or ill, small or big, young or old. If you donate you can lengthen 8 lives, save or improve 60 lives and enhance the eyes of 2. The greatest benefit of organ donation is knowing that you're saving a life. That life might be your spouse, child, parent, brother or sister, a close friend, or a very grateful stranger.

In the world of donating your organs, age shouldn’t really matter. There were over 800 organ donors in 2018. Although they ranged from newborns to 17, most were age 11 to 17. In 2018 alone over 100 pediatric donors were babies under the age of 12 months. Carlton, a 93-year-old live donor from Texas donated his organs to a 69-year-old woman suffering from end-stage liver disease.

Donating your organs can be a big deal for some, I mean, you’re literally giving away a part of yourself. Some are happy to do it, but there can be some factors that can disqualify you. Having HIV or AIDS, lymphomas, bone, and myeloma type cancers, dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and many other medical problems can get you ruled off. But, even with an illness or a health condition, you can still donate your organs and/or tissues until death. Doctors will examine your organs and determine whether they are suitable for donation. Only a few conditions would absolutely prevent a person from becoming a donor—such as active cancer or a serious infection.

Organ Donation happens all around the world, and in New Zealand, it’s nothing new since it has been happening since 1965 when a liver was successfully transplanted. But our number isn’t that high at all, in fact, by November 19th 2017 there were only 63 organ donations, which is only higher by a little since in 2016 the number was just 61. But why are 41 countries ahead of us? Ronan O’ Carrol, University of Stirling professor, claims that the psychological reasoning behind this is that “many people don’t like the idea of violating our “body integrity” and that taking bits out is just wrong”.

In conclusion, Organ Donation is important and it should be mandatory. In New Zealand currently, there are more than 550 individuals waiting for an organ or tissue transplant and unfortunately, some of those people die waiting, while others will go on to live restricted lives by long-term treatment. And donation really makes a difference since it offers precious second chances and dramatic changes in someone’s life.