Thursday, October 13, 2011

Signing up for organ donation

I underwent the law test, vision screening and necessary paperwork for a driving license. Before signing on the digital dotted line, I was cursorily asked a question about whether I would like to be included in their database as an organ donor. (The exact question was worded differently and escapes me now but it meant approximately the same.) I think they were asking me to enroll as an organ donor and not just whether I was already registered and would like to be addded to their list.

Organ donation is obviously a good thing, a moral thing to do. But why do so few people do it? Why didn't I sign up immediately then and there?

For me, it would be an important decision to be discussed with my family members.  I know it is an emotive issue for them and they would probably not be very comfortable with the whole concept. Maybe it should not concern them at all. After all it is my body, plus most of the donations happen after one's death. The point is, I needed time to think about it. As such, making a split second decision while facing a decidely cold and humorless MVA agent who seemed eager to get things over with,  wasn't something I was looking forward to, especially since I didn't know that that question would pop up during the driving license process.

On the face of it, it seems like a good idea to ask people to sign up for organ donation when they come to the government for a license. The ubiquity of licenses ensures greater coverage.

But is it really effective?

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Your thoughts are very welcome and I look forward to them eagerly. Just be mindful of being civil. This is a good book about the same in case you are interested:
Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct - P.M.Forni