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Organ Donation

subtitled "Why I Will Never Sign an Organ Donation Card"

I read this news article this morning:

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It appears that he was declared "brain dead" -- his parents were shown the brain scan which showed no brain activity whatsoever -- they agreed to have his organs "harvested" and were just saying goodbye and paying their last respects -- and he moved his foot!

If you read the story he tells that he could hear them pronouncing him dead.

He is now very much alive and well.

Makes me wonder how many other people in the world today have also heard themselves declared brain dead before they start chopping them up and taking organs out.

Now I understand this is a very sensitive subject. I admit that I have never had a loved one in need of an organ transplant, and don't know how I would feel if one day someone I loved or even myself were in need of one -- and I have all the sympathy and respect in the world for anyone reading who has been on either side of this fence -- having a loved one either declared brain dead or being in need of a transplant. I do not mean to pick at or insult or upset anyone in any way at all....please take no offense.

But...

it just gets me thinking is all....

photo of KarenBee
posted by KarenBee
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Yes this is very disturbing. There is also a dirty little secret how organs are being harvested from "prisoners" in countries like China and sold for profit. There seems to be little effort to quantify this practice and less to stop it.
photo of oldhckyplyr
posted by oldhckyplyr
3 months ago
Not surprising due to the fact that the world is becoming more consumer driven and less humanitarian. Any way people can make a buck takes precedent. Welcome to the Global Economy.
photo of Charles1950
posted by Charles1950
3 months ago
KarenB,

It isn't necessary to apologize for voicing an honest opinion -- which, in truth, I share.

There needs to be better safeguards in place, because, to one degree or another, all of us potential organ donors are at risk of "premature" harvesting. I don't think it's that much of a problem now, but it will be, just as sure as I'm sitting here.

As for China, what they do to turn a yuan, vis-a'-vis their condemned prisoners, is only the tip of the iceberg.

P
photo of Aussherz
posted by Aussherz
3 months ago
"the world is becoming more consumer driven and less humanitarian"

Well put, Charles. I think that pretty much explains it.

photo of MartiInMexico
posted by MartiInMexico
3 months ago
In the old days a person was declared dead when their heart stopped beating and they stopped breathing and they could not be revived from artificial respiration and beating on their chest, etc....now when that happens we hook them up to machines that will breath for them and force their heart to keep beating....then after that we do all kinds of fancy tests to them to determine if there is any brain activity.

A corollary to this subject is the idea of someone being in a "persistive vegetative state" -- where there is brain activity but medical science declares that they are somehow not there any more in their consciousness, and that life support should be disconnected. A notable case a few years back was Terry Schavio, who's parents insisted she was still in her body but her husband insisted she was nothing but a vegetable. I was living in Florida at the time and followed that story closely.

All this proves to me is that the medical science is not as infallible in determining whether or not a person is "alive" -- and they should quit trying to play God.

photo of KarenBee
posted by KarenBee
3 months ago
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