Tuesday, December 14, 2004

On a different note, you may or may not have heard the cases of people publicly soliciting "directed" donation of organs for themselves or loved ones. There have been a few recent cases with some publicity on this. I thought you might like to know the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)'s stance on the matter, which is also CTDN's stance:

You are probably familiar with recent instances where transplant candidates or their family members have solicited deceased donors for their individual need through public communications such as billboards and web sites. There have also been isolated attempts to learn the identity of potential deceased donors and individually contact the potential donor’s family[...]

The overwhelming majority of deceased donor transplants occur anonymously and without specifying an intended recipient of the donated organ. The existence of a personal bond that would cause a donor or donor family to favor a named transplant candidate is rare. Attempts to develop such a personal bond through unsolicited contact with or public appeals to families of deceased donors are problematic[...]

Recognizing that organ donation and transplantation are founded on altruism and equity, the OPTN/UNOS Board of Directors opposes any attempt by an individual transplant candidate (or his/her representatives) to solicit organ donation from a deceased donor ahead of other waiting candidates in a manner that subverts the established principles and objectives of equitable organ allocation. This is a particular concern when commercial space is utilized to solicit directed donation from a member of the public for a specific candidate. Such efforts may divert organs from patients with critical need to those who are less ill. In addition, such appeals, although well-intentioned, compromise the principle of fairness.

The Board encourages anyone considering a public appeal to promote the overall need for organ donation and not solicit an organ donation for an individual candidate. (my bold)

Food for thought -- should this topic come up in your daily life, consider doing a little educational outreach. :)

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