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I heard on the radio the other day that the waiting list for a kidney in Australia is almost 4 years. Many many people die while waiting for an organ. And kidney's really should be the easiest to get, since you can actually be a live donor, though this figure also reflects that fact that (I believe) kidneys are the most needed organ due the huge rise of incidence in diseases like type 2 diabetes. So I'm interested to know how people feel about being organ donors and whether they have made it known in some way that they want, or don't want, to be donors.
I made it a poll to get a snapshot of preferences, but feel free to discuss your responses further in the thread. For example, if you are or are not going to be a donor, why is that?
How do you think governments should be encouraging more people to be donors, if you think that people should be encouraged - for example, in Australia we have an opt-in system, where you have to indicate on your licence or by telling family that you want to donate. In Spain, I believe, they have an opt-out system, where the default is that you ARE a donor and you have to indicate if you do NOT wish to be.
Should there be some sort of priority system for people on the waiting list - I have heard some commentators suggesting that those with so-called 'lifestyle' diseases should be a lower priority for organs since they are in such low supply.
And there are many other issues as well.
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