We have all seen the colorful signs at the DMV encouraging us to become registered organ donors. Unfortunately, a decision that most view as a harmless act of charity has much greater implications than many realize.
No doubt, those who choose to donate their organs upon death do so out of an abundance of love for their fellow man. There is great virtue in wishing to give the gift of life to someone else once you have passed away. Even if we ourselves are not registered organ donors, we can all respect the clear intentions of those who sign up as organ donors.
Many people who receive organ transplants go on to live longer, healthier lives. Families often find comfort in knowing their loved one’s death gave life to someone else. But what is far less known are the ethical questions and troubling realities surrounding organ donation and organ harvesting. We are not opposed to the concept of organ donation after death, but there must be true informed consent for those who sign up.
On July, 21st of this year the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a press release titled, HHS Finds Systemic Disregard for Sanctity of Life in Organ Transplant System. The report announced, “a major initiative to begin reforming the organ transplant system following an investigation by its Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that revealed disturbing practices by a major organ procurement organization.”
Secretary Kennedy said, “Our findings show that hospitals allowed the organ procurement process to begin when patients showed signs of life, and this is horrifying,” he continued, “The entire system must be fixed to ensure that every potential donor’s life is treated with the sanctity it deserves.”
The report continued: HRSA examined 351 cases where organ donation was authorized, but ultimately not completed. It found:
· 103 cases (29.3%) showed concerning features, including 73 patients with neurological signs incompatible with organ donation.
· At least 28 patients may not have been deceased at the time organ procurement was initiated—raising serious ethical and legal questions.
Evidence pointed to poor neurologic assessments, lack of coordination with medical teams, questionable consent practices, and misclassification of causes of death, particularly in overdose cases.
For years, Life Issues Institute has been monitoring developments in organ donation. We’ve raised awareness about the risks, the stories that don’t make headlines, and the lack of safeguards to protect both donors and recipients. While we are grateful for the added scrutiny, this is not a new issue but the boiling point of an ongoing one.
Behind the statistics are real human lives. Take for example the harrowing story of Jenny Hamann. She was declared brain dead by doctors who tried to pressure her husband into allowing her organs to be harvested. The whole time Jenny could hear and understand everything happening around her. At one point she even heard the doctor say, “Her husband is being completely unreasonable. If he would just sign the forms so many people could benefit from her organs.” Only three weeks later Jenny came out of the coma and later made a full recovery.
Stories like Jenny’s are made possible due to a declaration of “brain death.” Contrary to what many believe, brain death is not the same as death. This diagnosis is based primarily upon subjective interpretation. At one point in time the American Academy of Neurology stated this on their website:
“Many of the details of the clinical neurologic examination to determine brain death cannot be established by evidence-based methods. The detailed brain death evaluation protocol that follows is intended as a useful tool for clinicians. It must be emphasized that this guidance is opinion-based. Alternative protocols may be equally informative.”
On our podcast Straight Talk on Life Issues, we recently interviewed Dr. Heidi Klessig, a renowned expert on the topic of organ donation. She issued the chilling warning to our listeners, “Don’t be a registered organ donor is my recommendation; I think it is unsafe to be a registered organ donor right now.”
That said, if you have signed up as an organ donor you should not feel bad. Your intentions were noble and rooted in compassion. Likewise, if you or a loved one has received an organ, you should not feel guilty in any way. Those who should feel shame are the individuals who have failed to provide informed consent. Our purpose is not to condemn organ donation itself, but to ensure that it is conducted in a way that fully respects human dignity.
What many people don’t realize is that organ donation doesn’t have to mean giving after death. Living donations such as giving a kidney or part of the liver are possible and can be done ethically. If you are uncomfortable with being listed as an organ donor, we have resources available on our website lifeissues.org to help you remove your name from the registry.
Giving the gift of life is an honorable way to bless someone in need, but it must be done in a way that honors the sanctity of human life. Killing one patient is not a just way to save another. Our hope is that before someone makes one of the most significant medical decisions of their life, they will be provided with all of the relevant information, including the dangers.
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