It's a tricky issue this one, but it's good someone wants to write about it.

On the one hand, I have grave fears - likely unfounded, of lying in the street after a car crash having the ambulance officers overtop of me saying to each other 'he's too far gone, let him go and we'll save ten lives with his insides' type of thing.

No, seriously though, with the stories I heard a few years ago of Packer buying our medical records (something along those lines - if anyone knows please let me know what it was about) for some marketing reason.

I can see, unless there were serious checks and balances, a Packer type mogul scouring the lists for suitable donors if he were ever in need - and perhaps the person with the match might go missing.

Probably too many Sci-Fi thrillers have made me paranoid.

I know there is no point taking our organs with us when we die, I guess like you say, it's all about education. Just the other night I saw a documentary segment on Dateline I think, about this very topic.

Poor people in Pakistan were being abused by their wealthy class, with Doctors eagerly handing out the equivalent of $4000US (which is no doubt a lot to such people) for a kidney to sell to a wealthy Arab, Asian, or even westerner.

This turns people off.

However, I have no doubt that if looked into, a system could be set up that would put my mind at ease. If this could be done, and I would take more convincing than most, most would jump on board.

I believe that Dutch fake show was a wake-up call, and they're right -it's got us all talking about it again, which is important.

Good article.

We need to get serious about this topic. I have brothers who are listed as organ donors but I keep thinking it's a little scary.

And good on the Dutch for being the part of the human conscience that put this issue where it belongs, in the fore.

For many years I've been recorded as a donor and I've told my family and friends this. I'm passionate about it and if they can't use my organs then I want my body to be used by med students in their courses. I agree with the article though in that I trouble that when the time comes the funeral system and grief might mean I just get cooked. What a waste. Even if I do say so myself.

My missus is an organ donation recipient due to battling a lifelong genetic disease that caused her to need a double lung transplant. The more people that make society aware of the issue the better. Good on you for writing this, BUT you can tell how apathetic people really are in regards to something so massively critical to the lives of so many people by the amount of comments and discussion you have here. If you talk about Iraq, religion, politics, abortion, racism etc you'll have a literal debating war going on...BUT this barely registers a blip.

This is why I'm for the OPT-OUT option of organ donation. It needs to happen to save lives.

I too am passionate about donating any organs that I might have for a useful purpose in the event of my death. People are so emotional about such things and may feel that one shouldn't desecrate a body by cutting it up and handing out the bits, but then of course there is always the conspiracy theory over the abuse of such a situation in the same way there is about euthanasia. While safeguards can be introduced, we should have an "opt-out" condition so that organ donation becomes automatic unless, for some off-beat reason such as religion, it makes it unpalatable for the donor. When I go, I have stipulated in my will that anyone can have my body and do what they want with it and if the organs are not required then they can use my body for research or teaching purposes. Surely this is better than getting planted in a polished box or being burnt to a cinder. Why are people so selfish over this when their death can very often give life to someone else ?

Keep your hand off my organ unless you have the money to pay for it.
My body my right.

Good article that hopefully will motivate its readers to become donors, if they’re not already.

There have been a few articles that were written after the Dutch Big Donor Show, so I’m glad that it hasn’t just drawn attention of the Dutch but also here and assumingly in other countries.

I knew that there was a shortage of donors in Australia but didn’t realised that the number of donors was that low, so the article taught me something new.

I’ve been a donor ever since I can remember; so are the rest of my family. I figure, it’s the last good thing one can do for other people, even after one’s death.
Of course Chris is right: what else is going to happen to your organs: cremation or eaten by worms. I’d much rather give mine a new life (perhaps a more exciting one than I can offer my organs).

I really agree with StG and snake that it’s time that the government took action and introduced an opt-out system. This will dramatically increase the rate of organ donors. I am not sure why this still hasn’t happened.

Snake, “for some off-beat reason such as religion, it makes it unpalatable for the donor”
I find that interesting- for what reasons would religions want to discourage people to become organ donors; I thought they were supposed to be pro-life?
However, there is this one Australian cult, the Jesus Christians, nicknamed the kidney cult- google it and you’ll find articles about these people who are encouraged to (live) donate their spare kidney to strangers in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught the act of giving. I think that’s their reason- they were on Australian Story recently.

Aqvarivs, of course you have the right not to donate, but for what reasons would you not want to donate?
Only if you got paid? What are you gonna do with the money when you’re dead- buy a can of worms?