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Puffguts · 11-10-04, 06:06 PM

I would donate my body for advancement of science, or serve as playground for medical students.

However I do not want to be part of the nation-wide organ-donation program. I heard a report on the National Public News (the radio sibling of PBS) that a doctor was sued for wrongful death when he pronounced a patient dead on arrival (zero heart-beat activity), then proceeded to take out the person's kidneys. The county coroner later examined the body and concluded the patient's death was actually caused by the removal of vital organs, despite the fact that the patient's heart had stopped beating and would likely to have died anyways.

A negative example of organ extraction would be the practice of extracting organs from executed prisoners in China (it is an extreme example of the controversy, but worth bringing up anyways). A large number of "donated organs" in China are extracted from dead prisoners right after their execution. The most common method of execution is death by shooting squad (there are death by lethal injections, but it would often destroy organs as well). Behind the execution fields there are often scores of hospital vans waiting. As soon as the executions are performed and the prisoner was pronounced dead (the method is to use a needle to probe a region of sensitivity at the very edge of frontal lobe of the brain. If the brain is not dead, the person would involuntarily twitch and the execution squad would put couple more bullets into the heart, due to the law forbid taking organ from a live person, I think), the medical crew would drive up and take the bodies into the operation vans, and extract whatever that is needed.

Back to the States. What if a doctor is ethically questionable? What if the doctor believes so strongly in organ donation that some safety guidelines are omitted due to the passion to obtain new organs clouded the physicians' judgement?

I would support donating my body for medical research / get chopped up by future-doctors-in-learning, but I would not sign up for organ donations and cause doctors having subconscious second-thoughts about saving my life.

11-10-04, 06:06 PM	#12 (permalink)
Puffguts Active Member Joined: Oct 2003 Location: Chino Hills Posts: 140	I would donate my body for advancement of science, or serve as playground for medical students. However I do not want to be part of the nation-wide organ-donation program. I heard a report on the National Public News (the radio sibling of PBS) that a doctor was sued for wrongful death when he pronounced a patient dead on arrival (zero heart-beat activity), then proceeded to take out the person's kidneys. The county coroner later examined the body and concluded the patient's death was actually caused by the removal of vital organs, despite the fact that the patient's heart had stopped beating and would likely to have died anyways. A negative example of organ extraction would be the practice of extracting organs from executed prisoners in China (it is an extreme example of the controversy, but worth bringing up anyways). A large number of "donated organs" in China are extracted from dead prisoners right after their execution. The most common method of execution is death by shooting squad (there are death by lethal injections, but it would often destroy organs as well). Behind the execution fields there are often scores of hospital vans waiting. As soon as the executions are performed and the prisoner was pronounced dead (the method is to use a needle to probe a region of sensitivity at the very edge of frontal lobe of the brain. If the brain is not dead, the person would involuntarily twitch and the execution squad would put couple more bullets into the heart, due to the law forbid taking organ from a live person, I think), the medical crew would drive up and take the bodies into the operation vans, and extract whatever that is needed. Back to the States. What if a doctor is ethically questionable? What if the doctor believes so strongly in organ donation that some safety guidelines are omitted due to the passion to obtain new organs clouded the physicians' judgement? I would support donating my body for medical research / get chopped up by future-doctors-in-learning, but I would not sign up for organ donations and cause doctors having subconscious second-thoughts about saving my life.