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-1 points

No. Religious reasons

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7 points

That’s a shitty religion then

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4 points
*

I think we can be a little more respectful in our disagreement no?

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9 points

Just stating the obvious. If it’s really religion banning donating organs, not only do they take bodily autonomy from you but also the chance to help save someone else’s life. That would be a shitty religion

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2 points

I am curious, what are your religious beliefs on this? And would you be willing to accept a donated organ to save your life?

I am not sure why you are getting downvoted for answering the question. Yes, lemmy tends to have fewer religious people, but it’s upsetting that others are quick to downvote anyone expressing their religious beliefs. Personally I am agnostic, however I respect that everyone has the right to their beliefs.

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4 points

Just as a pro-tip, “No.” is a complete answer. You don’t need religious reasons.

I worked as a transplant coordinator, and we talked to a lot of different people from a lot of different religions. This is something I wish I could have said to everyone who ever told me no because of religious reasons: I really hope you don’t feel like you have to make up a reason.

We can start with, no organized religions specifically prohibit organ donation.

There are some religions, like Jehovah’s Witnesses, that probibit receiving blood transfusions, but organ donation doesn’t require blood transfusion, and the decision is left to the individual.

There are also some religions and folklore that believe the body must remain intact after death, but those beliefs are not consistent or particularly widespread. Some Shinto believers refuse donation to avoid angering the spirits of the dead, but that’s also an individual choice rather than an official position.

So when we would discuss how to approach people of varying faiths, it was important to understand the underlying reasons for objections to donations. It’s also important to recognize that, despite what is on your license, it’s really not up to you. The transplant coordinator is talking to your next of kin, and they will be the one making the final decision. If I’m talking to you about donation, it’s because someone close to you has died, and we’re not discussing your beliefs. We will discuss what they would have wanted.

Nine times out of ten, when someone would cite religious objections, they were not members of an obscure Roma group or Shinto practitioners. We do have a significant number of Jehovah’s Witnesses in our region, and our consent rates were roughly the same for those families. That might be different depending on where you live.

Far more likely for our region, people were using “religious reasons” as a social trump card that gives them an out without looking selfish. Donation is an uncomfortable concept for a lot of people, and you’re talking to them at one of the worst times in their lives. Not everyone is up for having that conversation, and any transplant coordinator will understand when someone says “no.” Still, a lot of people think they will get pressured to do something they aren’t confortable with, and will make arguments they think “win” the discussion in the shortest amount of time.

The key is, I’m not going to tell you what you believe. I’m not your spiritual advisor or religious leader. I can help navigate those waters if asked, but if you say you have religious objections, I don’t need to know what they are. You don’t want to donate.

When I spoke with families, I was advocating for the people waiting for a transplant. There are people living better lives today because I was able to persuade donor families to overcome their objections. My second priority was making the process as comfortable for the families as possible. It made no difference to me whether those objections were religious or personal. If someone wanted to talk about it, we’d talk about it. If they couldn’t, we didn’t.

Others have mentioned in this thread that donors are exceptionally rare. Few people die in a way that makes donation possible. So when they do, their families are presented a unique situation where they are in a position to help others. Most people will help other people when they can, but the ones that don’t aren’t lesser humans. It isn’t selfish to say that it’s too much, too painful, too disturbing to think about. Because it is. You’re in the acute phase of a significant loss. You do not need to justify your feelings, and you should not feel defensive about what you want for your loved one.

If you don’t want to talk to someone about donation, you can just say “No.”

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1 point

What a thoughtful and informative response. Thank you for this!

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0 points

No.

  1. It’s opt-in in my country.
  2. I fear that medical personnel will give up on me way too easily and early if they know that I am a donor. Or that it’s even rooted in malicious intent.
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-4 points

No. There are too many people on this planet.

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-7 points
*

No.

The topic came up among a table of paramedics and other first responders I was drinking with one night. Went down to the dmv and had the mark taken off my id the Monday after.

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14 points

I think we need some more context, other than it’s obviously not good like it’s promoted as

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5 points

Would love to know anything more about that reaction.

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-1 points

My ID says I am, but I’m not registered anywhere else. Why did I have my ID say it? Because I felt like it that day when I renewed it. That’s literally all there was to it.

Real talk though, I almost don’t think I should be donating my organs. Why should the hospital get for free what they’re going to charge a family hundreds of thousands of dollars for?

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13 points

I got a double lung transplant 17 years ago when I was in my 20’s.

The actual logistics of transporting, then transplanting an organ is unbelievably complex.

Most of the cost is everything involved in the procedure. In fact I’d have to check me itemized bill and see if they actually charged for the actual lungs or just all the handling of them.

Anyways, someone’s generous choice has given me another 17 years on the planet. (I was born with cystic fibrosis, a genetic lung disease).

I am also an organ donor, if my eyes, skin, anything could help anyone else, I’m all for it. Hospital profit never even came to mind when thinking about choosing to be a donor or not.

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3 points

Well, I never really thought about it until now either. Haha. Though, it was mostly a choice of apathy, since when I’m dead I won’t really care what someone does with them, I only really get to pretend that I will while I’m alive today.

If they’re not charging for my organs that get donated, then that’s pretty cool. I mean, I was given mine for free, so it only makes sense to give them for free when I’m done with them.

Of course, I live in the middle of nowhere, so whether they’ll find someone who can use my stuff before it goes bad is a whole different thing entirely.

It’s good that you were able to find some lungs.

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