A person should be – BUT CURRENTLY IS NOT – given honest and adequate information about the organ procurement process. Informed consent to be an organ donor is not possible without such knowledge.
Dr. Heidi Klessig, anesthesiologist, proposes requiring that the following information be read to driver's license applicants BEFORE they are asked, "Do you want to be an organ donor?" ...
Informed Consent
at the Department of Motor Vehicles
“I am required to read this informed consent statement prepared by the Surgeon General before you register as an organ donor.”
- If you consent to be an organ donor, irrevocable organ procurement policies are set into motion to be sure your desire to be an organ donor will be honored. A legally appointed health care surrogate, spouse, or family member cannot stop this process.
- Even though you are declared legally dead, your heart is still beating, your lungs aerate with the help of a ventilator, and your vital body systems continue to function.
- In preparation for the surgery to procure your organs, it is likely that paralyzing agents will be administered to prevent you from moving.
- During the surgery to procure your organs, you are not guaranteed anesthesia to treat objective signs of bodily distress (e.g., muscle tensing, heart rate elevations, and blood pressure increases).
- Organ donors who are declared "dead" before their vital organs are removed are certainly dead after.
- You should also know that some people have recovered with ongoing medical treatment after being declared legally dead.
So, do you want to be an organ donor?