I signed up at the UK Transplant website for them to strip my body of it's bits should I be found dead in my flat being eaten by Alsatians.
I thought about it a bit but I couldn't really come up with a reason not to do it. I'm in favour of them changing the system to that of "presumed consent", so why should I be hesitant to sign up. Largely because I'm a bit lazy and a bit of an idiot. Neither being good enough excuses.
Interestingly they ask ones ethnicity as part of the sign up (which was impressively quick and easy), which I thought was categorically illegal (but to be honest don't really know). There are people racist enough to not accept a black person corneas, or a Jews heart.
I do think it's a good think, and I suggest you consider signing up too. I don't think my liver or lungs are in a fit state, but if I can save someone's life should I shuffle of this mortal coil, I can't really see the bad in it.
1. Daisy
If someone is racist enough to refused blood/organs from another race/religion, are doctors allowed to say “Fine, go ahead and die then”?
2. Adrian
I think doctors take an oath to treat everyone equally regardless of how much they deserve it.
3. Daisy
The hippocratic oath, hmm. But it would be interesting to see if this has ever been an issue, gone to court in the US even.
4. Chris
You’ll never be found dead in your flat having been eaten by Alsatians - they’ve got no opposable thumbs, and therefore couldn’t operate the buttons on the lift to get up there.
Chimps, however - you’ve got to look out for them.
5. emchi
There was a thing a while ago where the NHS were saying not enough people from ethnic minorities sign up for the scheme which was a problem. I think it’s something to do with the blood groups rather than religious background though.
6. Dr. Cupcake
I’d imagine the ethnicity question is either an effort to collect medical research data or to gather more information about possible hereditary diseases like Tay-Sachs or sickle-cell anemia, which are more prevalent in some ethnic populations than others.
7. Gordon
Yup Dr.Cupcake is correct - when I got my first Donor card (about 10 years ago) I asked about this and was given a lengthy explanation by a very attractive nurse. She used lots of big medical words and had very nice breasts. You can guess which I remember.
8. Hanni
I always make a point of not filling in the ‘ethnicity’ section. Perhaps in this case it is relevant though?
9. Julius
Alsatians don’t need opposable thumbs to press lift butttons. They use their noses.
The real problem is opening the door to the flat.
Adrian, I would suggest you ignore any whining and scratching noises you hear at your front door from now on.
10. badly dubbed boy
My Dad once told me that I shouldn’t sign up for organ transplants, as doctors wouldn’t work hard enough to save your life (especially being an ethnic) because then they could harvest your organs.
On that basis, I havne’t signed up for it because if I do suddenly die, even if I was carrying an organ card, my parents would over-rule my wishes!
11. Adrian
I would very much doubt than any doctor wouldn’t do their utmost to save your life.
If they weren’t doing everything they could to save your life, they probably wouldn’t care enough to save someone else’s life either.
12. Jane
In reference to BDB’s comment on doctors not working on a dying person, in order to harvest their organs: As an EMT myself, we are under orders to resuscitate all unless they have the legally binding document called a “DNR” (Do Not Resus). If the person has a donor card checked (even if they are truly beyond G-d’s help), we still need to continue CPR & such all the way to the hospital and down the ER hallways, to keep oxygen flowing through the organs, & keeping at least the organs alive for the donation.