When Can Others Help Themselves to Our Organs?
D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A. Executive Director
We have an opt-in organ donation system in the United States. That is, you have to say, “Yes,” to organ donation in order to donate. Opting in is very easy, and you can usually do that through your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Even those too young to vote can opt-in for organ donation. Why is this service available through the DMV? A few moments’ thought can yield an answer.
England has recently changed its law governing organ donation. The new “opt-out” law takes effect in 2020:
Everyone in England over the age of 18 will ...read moreLet’s Talk About Organ Donation
D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A.
Executive Director
A rare feat in organ transplantation was reported this week. 27-year-old Ray Fearing needed a kidney. His younger sister, Cera, donated one of hers. Quickly, though, that kidney started failing. Although Fearing could no longer use the kidney, his physicians thought that perhaps the kidney could be removed before it shut down altogether, and transplanted to someone else. Fearing and his sister agreed to the procedure, as did the recipient. So, after 14 days in Ray Fearing’s body, the kidney was removed and re-transplanted — this time, into the ...read more
