Organ Donation
On April 9, 1995, Alisa Flatow's, a junior at a University, life ended. The bus she was riding in during a trip was rammed by a van fully loaded with explosives. Her father, Stephen Flatow, had to fly there from America to confirm his daughter's death. She was killed by a blunt trauma to the head by a piece of the bomb. After consulting with their rabbi the parents of Alisa decided to donate her organs. That decision allowed six other people to live. (Kroot) Many families make this choice daily. In the middle of losing a loved one parents and families are asked the question, "Would you like to donate their organs to help others." While most American say they want to donate organs upon death most don't. Only about 40% of potential organ donations are received. (Associated Press) Why is their such a low percentage of organ donations, and what happens when the organs are finally available? When talking to people a common conception is that most people want to donate. However in reality most people don't. A main source of these problems is confusion at death. People don't like to talk about this kind of subject so the family usually does not know. (Kroot) Others are concerned about stories and my
Organ allocation is one reason why the government is being asked to become more involved. How do you decide whom gets an organ with the foresight of knowing others will probably die because they did not get it? Others want the government to put into place a national system. All mentally competent individuals over the age of 18 were presumed to give consent to the retrieval of their organs upon death but with the option of opting out of the program when getting a license or at checkups at the doctor. (Fentiman) I have a history of medical illness. You would not want my organs. Even if someone dies sick some organs are usable. I might want to donate one organ, but I do not want to donate everything. With the millions of deaths in America you would think that there would be plenty of donors. The problem is that most ideal organ donors died quickly, from head trauma or seizures. With advances in medicine and safety these types of deaths are getting rarer. Also a lot of other potential donors are put on life support right before they die hoping that what ever is killing them can be healed. Human organs start to deteriorate if held in this state to long. They're several misunderstandings about organ donation. Kathie Kroot; the writer of "A Jewish Perspective on Organ Transplantation," states some of the most common misconceptions; Only heart, liver and kidneys can be donated. One day soon to come we as a society have to figure out what do. The fact of the matter is we have the medical knowledge to fix this problem. I might not take medical know-how but just educating the public. Personally
Some common words found in the essay are:
Organ Transplantation, Medical Center, Associated Press, Stephen Flatow, Transplant Awareness, Alisa Flatow's, Organ Sharing, Gifts April, people don't, donate organs, Kathie Kroot, potential donors, anencephalic babies, organ donation, support donation, organs transplanted, getting license, babies born, organs death,
Approximate Word count = 1109
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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