Mariam
Saab
Darling
Comp
105
18
November 2014
Bringing Awareness to the Organ Donors
Registry
I’ve
just passed my road test. My dad and I race over to Secretary of State and when
I’m finally next in line to get my picture taken for my driver’s license, my
excitement overcomes my ability to smile coolly. The adrenaline slowly ebbs
away as I’m handed forms of endless questions and signature requests. I pause
at a question unlike the rest—unrelated to my physical ability to drive. It
asks “Would you like to be added to the Organ Donors Registry or Tissue Donors
Registry?” I look at my dad questioningly, but to no accord, for he says he is
not allowed to tell me how to answer. On one hand I think: well I’ve heard that
in Islam, when one dies they must be returned to the earth as whole as
possible. Since removing organs purposely before burial would technically
conflict with the supposed guideline, I’m hesitant to say yes. On the other
hand I think: my big sister has been suffering with Chronic Kidney Failure for
a decade, undergoing daily twelve hour dialysis treatments, unpredictable
surgeries, and uncertainty towards a transplant. Since most of my family is
ineligible as match to donate a kidney to her, she depends on the organs of
deceased donors. My hesitation is gone. I check “yes.”
Whether one might have a justifiable
reason not to apply for the Organ Donors Registry or doesn’t understand the
implications, there is no doubt that not enough people take the time to
consider it. According to the U.S Organ Donor Registry, “123,948 people are waiting for an organ…18 people will die
each day waiting for an organ…1 organ donor can save up to 8 lives” ("Why
Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation?" 1).
Though my personal choice has been made, I cannot say I recommend that everyone
be an organ donor. I do, however, hope that society can take a moment and
contemplate it. To make an ultimate decision, one might consider answering the
following questions for themselves: How easy is applying? Does my religion
conflict with donation? What morals might be behind donation? Who might be
affected by my donation? Does donation personally apply to someone in my life?
Applying to be on the Organ/Tissue/Eye Donors Registry is
as simple and convenient as check-marking a box on your driver’s license
application nowadays. If that method seems to blunt for you, more detailed
information is always available on the “U.S.
Government Information on Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation”
webpage. There, you can either apply online or print an application and mail it
in. Information on what parts of your body you can choose to donate upon dying and
what parts you can forbid are explained in detail. They also give instructions
on what steps to take if one wishes to do a live donation (a donation in which
the organ is transplanted from one living donor to a living recipient). So ask
yourself, is supposed lack of convenience holding you back? If so, you have
simple options as listed above, if not, move on to the next question, “does my
religion conflict with my donation?”
The “U.S. Government Information on Organ and Tissue
Donation and Transplantation” website has a resourceful link regarding
religious views on donation. Many religions don’t seem to conflict with the
concept of donation upon death.
For example, according to the website,
Catholicism, according to Pope John Paul II, believes “Organ, eye, and tissue donation is considered an act of
charity and love, and transplants are morally and ethically acceptable to the
Vatican. (Qtd in“Religious
Views on Donation) 1).
Islam,
according to the Fourth Conference of the Fiqh Council, determined:
According to article On Educating Conservative Jews Regarding Organ Donations in regards to Judaism:
According to a BBC article on organ donations and religion:
 |
| URL Address |
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| http://islam.about.com/od/history/a/crescent_moon.htm |
...That transplantation offers clear positive results if practiced ...to achieve the aims of sharee'ah which tries to achieve all that is good and in the best interests of individuals and societies and promotes cooperation, compassion and selflessness. Provided that shar'i guidelines and controls that protect human dignity are met, It is permissible to transplant an organ from a dead person to a living person whose life or basic essential functions depend on that organ, subject to the condition that permission be given by the deceased before his death, or by his heirs after his death…. Regarding living donation, it is permissible to transplant organs such as a kidney and or a lung in order to keep the beneficiary alive or to keep some essential or basic function of his body working (qtd in Religious View on Donation” 1)So, Islam doesn’t prohibit donation upon dying, my initial belief was misguided.
 |
| http://www.signology.org/religious-symbols/jewish-symbols.htm |
In principal Judaism sanctions and encourages organ, eye, and tissue donation in order to save lives. Rabbi Elliott N. Dorff wrote that saving a life through organ donation supersedes the rules concerning treatment of a dead body. Transplantation does not desecrate a body or show lack of respect for the dead, and any delay in burial to facilitate organ donation is respectful of the decedent. Organ donation saves lives and honors the deceased. The Conservative Movement's Committee on Jewish Laws and Standards has stated that organ donations after death represent not only an act of kindness, but are also a “commanded obligation” which saves human lives." (qtd in “Religious Views on Donation” 1)
 |
| http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Hinduism/Religious_Symbols_of_Hinduism |
According to a BBC article on organ donations and religion:
No religious law prohibits Hindus from donating their organs and tissues. Life after death is a strong belief of Hindus and is an ongoing process of rebirth. This could be seen as reflecting positively on the concept of organ donation and transplantation. A minority argument, though, says that if someone donates an organ as intrinsic to the body as a heart, the principle of karma means the recipient will have to return the favour in the donor's next life - which means the donor will have to have a next life. Hindus hope to be liberated from the cycle of rebirth, so this would be a disadvantage. However, most Hindus would view this argument as selfish.” (“Hinduism and Organ Donation” 1)Here, the top four most practiced religions in the world (not including Secular/Agnostic/Atheist) seemingly agree that donating an organ after death to help save lives is not only acceptable, but honorable (Juan 1). Among these religions, these two websites cover beliefs of Mormons, Presbyterians, United Methodists, and many more. Religion was an important aspect to cover when I considered organ donation because I am a devout Muslim. In my religion, we are asked to question will this make God happy? when making big decisions. Amazingly, it seems almost all religions ask this question when making decisions as well. Religions that are centered on the belief of a God or gods practice faith in devotion to making that/those God/gods happy. So when a person, like me, is driven by their faith, asking questions, such as about the righteousness of organ donation, that person can open a world of good deeds they otherwise wouldn't have cared to question. Religion, generally speaking, also seems to draw connections as well as differentiate between things we know/believeto exist within our world. For example, religion puts God/gods as the highest entity/entities, with humans and the earth being His/their creations. For those who are religious, it might be encouraging to discover that the acceptance of organ donations is a a small example of what connects most faiths, and that is a beautiful thing. So ask yourself, was it your religion that had you doubt the righteousness of donating? Maybe you choose not to associate with a religion, or maybe your faith is not your driving cause, then continue on and ask yourself, “What morals might be behind donating?”
If you really think about what must be going through the mind of a person
willing to give away their organs (whether during their life or after death) to
others who need them to survive, the first word that comes to mind is selfless. It benefits the donor
in no positive physical or monetary way whatsoever; the donor loses an organ,
possibly their life, so physically, they aren’t getting anything out of it. So
why might they do it? Because they feel it is a kind, loving, helpful thing to
do. Upon dying, having your last farewell to mankind potentially be the gift of
saving the lives of others might make some people more comfortable with the
prospect of dying, which is often a topic of taboo and fear. What might drive
someone to donate while still alive is the desire to do something selfless in
order to give back to a world that they’ve taken so much from.
 |
| Living Donor, Matt, with Grandpa |
Donating
while still alive is among the most generous things one can do because the
donor risks their health and quality of life for the possibility that they can
improve that of another. Do you feel the need to give back? Are you looking to
leave a mark on someone’s life when you’re dead and gone? Or maybe you can’t
afford to think too selflessly in regards to your health for your family’s sake
or your own fears? If morals don’t drive your consideration to donate, ask
yourself “Who might be affected by my donation?”
The most
pressing of questions, strong enough to sway your decision regardless of how
you answer to the others, is “Does
donation personally apply to someone in my life?” When you know someone in need
of a transplant, see what they physically have to go through every single day,
see the emotional toll taken on the family, and scariest off all, see the
uncertainty of survival with each passing day, the desperation to help is
maddening. In the case of my sister, I can say that if the opportunity
presented itself tomorrow, I’d lay down my life for her. That may be extreme
for some, but at least the cause of donation seems fathomable when you can
picture exactly who you’re helping.
On the car ride
home, my father looked at me with surprise, asking with his eyes how I could
answer so quickly. I said, “How arrogant are we to pray that an organ comes to
(insert sister’s name here), with the possibility that the donor might have to
die in order for it to happen, when we ourselves aren’t willing to offer that
hope for someone else by being on the registry?” With eyes wide open at my
outspokenness, my father choked back a tear. Then he smiled, letting out a deep
sigh of, what I assume to be, pride.
Maybe we all can’t
donate, maybe we can’t save everyone. But if we take the time to think about
how we can help those in need, and more importantly, what prevents us from
taking action in the first place, we can inspire a more interconnected view of the world. When someone donates an organ after they die, the otherwise fatally ill recipient is given endless possibilities to do good in the world and make a difference in someone else's life because that recipient gets to live. And then maybe when that recipient gets older, they decide to donate an organ upon dying, and so the cycle goes on. This is a miraculous concept because it would make literal connections between humanity. Even without taking it literally, the idea that life is so precious and that it can be given, taken away, saved, and revived in an instance, humbly connects us all.
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