[KarlInOhio]

How much of the shortage of donor organs would be fixed if we would consider paying the families of people who died for the organs? Even if the it is only a relatively small amount, let's say $1000 / organ, that would get a lot more people to check off "donate" on their driver's licenses and organ donor cards. The only thing I would worry about is it would encourage family members to pull the plug on seriously ill or injured people before everything had been tried to save them.

Don't try to tell me that organ donation should be a "gift of love" or something like that. Everyone from the hospital and doctors removing the organs through the transportation services to the hospital and doctors transplanting the organs is well paid for the procedure. The only one told that it is wrong to profit from organ donation is the original owner of the organ.

I am a little queasy about applying the same logic to voluntary living donors, but I don't have a solid reason to argue against it.

[LarkNeelie]

I think part of the problem is that even when the deceased has themselves marked as an organ donor, say on their drivers' licenses, the family of the deceased can (and do) impose their own refusal to allow the organ donation.

Which makes me wonder what's the point of the organ donor mark on a DL?

I have made it very clear to my entire family (promising to haunt them and not in a nice way if they refuse to honor my wishes), and in a living will as well, that my entire body is to be used for organ donation.

[Tamar1973]

The only thing I would worry about is it would encourage family members to pull the plug on seriously ill or injured people before everything had been tried to save them.

This is exactly why my step-mother in law refuses to put herself on the organ donor list. She scared that the doctors will refuse to treat her to the best of their ability if they know she is on the organ donor list.

[Tamar1973]

The only thing I would worry about is it would encourage family members to pull the plug on seriously ill or injured people before everything had been tried to save them.

This is exactly why my step-mother in law refuses to put herself on the organ donor list. She scared that the doctors will refuse to treat her to the best of their ability if they know she is on the organ donor list.

[Snoopers-868th]

When we start selling our organs we will have sold our soles.

I remember a particular Twilight Zone where Joan Crawford (a wealthy person) bought eyes from some poor guy that needed the money. She would only be able to see for a certain number of hours but she still wanted them and cared little for the guy who contributed them. She had all her beautiful things put around her, it was evening and they removed the bandages and immediately the power went out. All she saw before going blind again was the sun rise. But the guy who gave the eyes was now blind for life.