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Organ Donors.

I was just reading over the terms and conditions to my replacement drivers license that arrived in the mail, and at the end was the usual organ donor form, should I so chose to fill it out.

It got me to realise, I really don't know where I stand on donating organs. It's not that I don't want someone to have my organs once I'm dead... it's that back in school in the cadaver lab, we were warned that it takes a while for the brain to completely deplete itself of energy... IE, some cadavers may respond to a scalpel through residual chemical energy left over in the form of an automatic response.

This un-nerves me. To me, it suggests that the conscious mind may also still be active in some way. Given that organ donations have to be removed rather quickly after declaration of death... the idea of my body being shut down, but having some residual consciousness left while they cut my organs out kinda gives me the creeps.

If it weren't for how quickly they harvest the organs after death, I'd have no issue with it. I'm not around any more, I'm long gone, my organs are no longer mine....

...but the quick nature of the organ harvest disturbs me.

The point of all this is...
What are my fellow atheists views on organ donation?

Tags: donor, harvest, organ

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Permalink Reply by unholyroller on September 15, 2009 at 11:14pm

It seems my computer is as bored with my rants as my friends and family are. Again, as for paying for organs.....have you considered the slippery slope that would lead to? Again....the only difference between "urban legand" and "lie" is the number of letters it takes to spell them out. Some of you have grossly misinformed. I don't know where you hear such great loads male bovine excrement or why you choose to believe it (I thought we were supposed to be rational thinkers here....long past needing the superstition), but please, folks....read up....investigate....educate yourselves to the real facts. I've told my family, my spouse and everybody who will listen that, in case the worst happens...take the best and burn the rest. I have a Living Will. I urge the rest of you to fill one out also. They are not written in stone. You can rescend one with your dying breath and every effort will be made to keep you alive.
I hope JeanMarie's posts (and mine) have reasssured those of you who needed it.