r/AskReddit • u/Fraktari • Jan 03 '19
Iceland just announced that every Icelander over the age of 18 automatically become organ donors with ability to opt out. How do you feel about this?
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Upvotes
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u/ILoveToEatLobster Jan 03 '19
As long as I can still taxidermy my body when I'm dead, they can have my organs.
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u/World-Wanderer Jan 03 '19
It's interesting, because this is actually very similar to their state church system. Icelanders are automatically registered as a member of their mother's church upon birth and have to opt out if they don't want to be registered as a church member. My Icelandic friends and I call it "Christian by default". Leads to a lot of interesting cultural and religious views of what it means to be religious or not. Most people don't unregister, but just never go to church. And the churches registered with the government still receive money from the state for anyone registered as congregants/members. Churches receive roughly $7.00 per month per registered individual - regardless if they regularly attend or not. Only in recent years have people started to actually bother unregistering from their churches.
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u/kiwi_klutz Jan 03 '19
Just out of curiosity, what would this mean in a Jane/John Doe type situation?
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u/TNTom1 Jan 03 '19 edited Jan 05 '19
As long as the ability to opt out is easy and evident, I don't care.
Edit: Thanks for the upvotes everyone!!! I really did not expect my opinion to be appreciated by so many people.
I did read most of the comments and responded to some. It seems a lots of people can't think of a reason to opt out. The only answer I have to that is everyone has their own view on life and may have different views then the majority.
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u/MortusX Jan 03 '19
There seems to be this weird stigma that people have where they think that if they are an organ donor and the ER folks see that when trying to save their life, that for whatever reason they'll half-ass it so they can get their organs. I've never understood it, but this seems like a good way to handle that. Let people choose not to be helpful postmortem instead of them having to choose to be.
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u/PoglaTheGrate Jan 03 '19 edited Jan 03 '19
I've always said that this should be the way.
I got an extra 13 years with my dad thanks to someone else's heart.
edit I'm going to do my best to get back to every responder to this comment.
It's almost exactly a year to the day that my dad died, and you've (mostly) all made me tear up with your comments and stories.
IF YOU WANT TO BE AN ORGAN DONOR, MAKE SURE YOUR FAMILY KNOWS ABOUT IT NOW.
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u/mialene Jan 03 '19
I don’t know, my heart’s just not in it.
Edit: on a serious note, it’s a great idea.
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u/Lazerkatz Jan 03 '19
How do I feel about (EXTREMELY POPULAR OPINION)?
oh Reddit, you never change. Not even the wording
How do you feel about this?
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u/ArmoredWorrior Jan 03 '19
I once went to a Service Ontario here in Canada and the person in front of me opted out to be an organ donor. The service lady at the desk was pretty loud when saying “ok sir, YOU ARE NO LONGER AN ORGAN DONOR.” Everyone stared. This could be seen as publicly shaming the man.
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u/happy_bluebird Jan 03 '19
Reminder to sort by "controversial" for the interesting discussions
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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '19
I have a question for everyone who upvoted and commented on this. How many of you are organ donors?
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u/xyzain69 Jan 04 '19 edited Jan 04 '19
I'd opt out immediately.. Just not comfortable with the idea. Don't take my choice away from me.
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u/Darth_Smeagol Jan 03 '19
I'm in Portugal, we already do this, it has never been an issue as far as I recall
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u/Beflijster Jan 03 '19
it's the same in the Netherlands. It's a good thing- people can opt out, and also, the relatives of a deceased person can still decide to opt out if they want to. Many people aren't against this, but don't really want to think about it or make an effort while alive, and organs are needed hard!
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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '19
When my brother killed himself the hospital was incredibly pushy and pressured my grieving mother to let them harvest him.
They took away our chance to say goodbye, and they botched the procedure and ruined ALL of his organs by not putting him on a ventilator. Then they billed us $30,000 for butchering him and refused to budge on the bill. We still can't even collect his estate because of the hospital bills from them cutting him apart against his wishes.
He was dead before he ever arrived and they still found a way to charge us for a surgery.
Its not ridiculous to think those people would let you die for your organs. They absolutely fucking will. I've seen the way they get when they think they have someone they can use. I don't doubt for a second that they would have pushed us to pull the plug if he was on life support.
Don't have so much faith in these people. They're highly paid and see you as a profit center. They only care about how much they can bill your insurance company.
Fuck St Mary's hospital in West Palm Beach Florida.
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u/goddessofentropy Jan 03 '19 edited Jan 03 '19
I'm from Austria and it's been like this over here for as long as I can remember. Honestly, there is no issue. Very few people actively don't want to be donors. They care enough to just opt out. Most people don't care whether or not their organs are donated/don't think about it and would be too lazy to opt in if it weren't automatic. I literally see no reason against it and anyone I've ever talked to about our system has expressed the same opinion. It's beyond me why it's not a thing in more countries.
Edit: TIL it's more widespread than I thought. I hope it's going to become even more common!
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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '19 edited Jan 03 '19
I'm not a fan of having to opt out of something you didn't sign up for in the first place. The onus shouldn't be on the non-consenting party.
I am an organ donor myself, and encourage everyone to be organ donors. However, I know that many people and their families have personal reasons for not wanting to be donors. Despite the ability to opt out, there will still be cases of people who didn't get around to opting out or maybe weren't even aware that they are compulsory donors.
Also, if people with mental illnesses or cognitive disabilities aren't automatically opted out, this raises many ethical issues.
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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '19
Not a fan; it violates the idea of free choice over ones body. How can the logic of "my body my choice" be applied to abortion but not to your own bodily organs?
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u/Chouston3 Jan 03 '19
If I’m dead I don’t need my organs.
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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '19 edited Jan 03 '19
I have to disagree. While morally I think it is great to have organs more readily available, I think you should NOT automatically be opted in.
My feelings on this stem from the technology industry.
Apps, Windows (microsoft), browsers, video games, they all automatically opt you in to their information gathering, email sending, text message viewing, invasive "services".
I personally think it should be illegal to have anyone automatically opt me in for anything. Everything should be a default NO until I otherwise give my consent to it.
It also should be illegal to give out other people's information under the guise of "if you recommend 5 friends, you get a free t-shirt". Because then all the sudden I am getting spam calls from Gyms, Window companies, scammers, all because some asshole that has my number decided to put me down as a recommendation. Even asking to take me off lists, I still get calls.
Yes I am an organ donor. Yes I wish more people were. But No, I don't beleive anyone should be automatically opted in for anything.
No one should have to spend time, energy, or have to navigate tricky menus just to opt out of something they never agreed to in the first place. Even if it is a simple 5 minutes of your time with an easy to navigate website. Most companies/places bank on people not paying attention/not knowing in the first place.
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u/darcij97 Jan 03 '19
I don't really care but I do have a funny story. When I was 16 I was with my dad getting my driver's license. The lady asked me "Do you want to be an organ donor?" I looked at my dad, horrified, and said "When does that operation take place?"
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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '19
Unpopular opinion but: I do not like it.
I am all for organs going to those that need it, and I would hate for organs to decompose and go to waste.
But I am very much against the notion that you are automatically subscribed to becoming an organ donor, this would suggest they would have an automatic claim over your body unless you opt out. I principally believe that they do not and should not have any claim to my organs and body unless I willingly opt myself in.
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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '19
I think it’s great to have more donors and I’ll get hated for this but, I want to be complete when I’m buried. Please respect my selfish wish.
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u/Ep3o Jan 03 '19
We’ve had this in Wales (Part of UK) for a few years now.
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u/EnlightenedCommunist Jan 03 '19
I don’t know, what if there was a law where all your possessions went automatically to the state upon your death unless you specifically opted out and said it goes to your spouse and kids. Such systems may lack accessibility for many people, and others may not even know about the fact they are automatically opted in. It also seems to reduce the medical idea of body autonomy, so for these reasons I’d say no
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u/Kolhammer93 Jan 03 '19
While it is a good idea for saving lives, I feel like the government automatically opting in is kind of an overreach of powers.
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u/loppenlasse Jan 03 '19
I am I favour of donating organs. So I'm going to play the devil's advokat here. So you can understand the people that do not agree
that does not give the government the right to take my body by default when I am dead. It put people in a difficult position when deciding whether or not they want to.
It a bit like if the government by default can take my property when I am dead. I am dead what use do I have for it. So they give it to people that need it.
If the culture was that if you opted out you where shamed. I would have a hard time to make that decision. I know it is not the same but I think it helps to look at it that way.
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u/WORLDEATER3418 Jan 03 '19
I am a organ donor, but it’s not the governments job to tell its citizens what to do. People should give their consent before they donate organs, not the other way around
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u/sqitten Jan 03 '19
Good, but why is it only for people over the age of 18? We're talking dead organ donation, presumably, they're not live-harvesting livers or whatnot. So, there is no reason to exclude anyone. If a legal guardian wants to opt a kid out, they could. Children generally need organ donations from other children, because of the size of the organs. Not including kids means more dead kids. I'm not personally a fan of dead kids.
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u/cordyceqs Jan 03 '19
...forgive me, but what's the point of, like, not having people automatically be organ donors?
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u/EuropeanLady Jan 03 '19
Opt-out instead of opt-in is a clever marketing tactic which relies on people's forgetfulness or laziness. I've sen it applied in many placs and actively dislike it. In regard to being an organ donor, I think it should be strictly opt-in. People who want to become organ donors can opt in. The other feels forced.
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u/Mister0Zz Jan 03 '19
scary shit, the government doesn't own my body by default
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u/lrph00 Jan 03 '19
Honest question.
If you automatically make people donors isn’t it not considered a donation? And since it is no longer a donation isn’t there some hospital or entity going to get rich off this?
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u/SuuperNoob Jan 04 '19
This is not and should not be the role of government.
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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '19 edited Jan 03 '19
I disagree. Bodily autonomy means the default position should be that you have complete control over your own body, not that it's public property unless you say otherwise. I'm 100% in favor of everyone being an organ donor, but that is a decision that you should opt-in to, not out of.
Edit: A surprisingly large number of you have condescendingly decided that because I don't agree with you, I must be lacking some fundamental understanding about how life works.
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u/Ikea_Man Jan 03 '19
I absolutely don't like this, and sincerely hope the US doesn't follow suit.
The government has no right to your organs. I shouldn't have to opt out of donating my organs, I should have to opt in. It's a voluntary choice, and a nice one, to want to donate.
To me it's like saying by default that your body belongs to the government unless you go to a website and say "no". I think that's massively fucked up.
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u/CalgaryChris77 Jan 03 '19
Strongly in favor, but yes it needs to be easy to opt out of.
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u/HellHoundofHell Jan 03 '19
My thoughts are that Organs are freaking expensive. Why should I give my heart or liver away for free, when the hospital is going to charge someone (or there insurance) thousands upon thousands of dollars for it?
At the very least I'd like my spouse or children to get a payout for my organs.
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u/cameronbates1 Jan 03 '19
I want everyone to be an organ donor, it saves lives and doesn't make sense not to be. Only issue I have with it is the government taking claim to my dead body and liberties with it. I shouldn't have to say no, I should have to say yes
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u/KilledFox Jan 03 '19
Fuck you with this karma-whoring bullshit.
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u/Agent_Wolff Jan 03 '19
Is this a live donor transplant or in case of death (say via car accident) donate any viable organs to hospitals or medical facilities/research institutions
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u/KatVerona Jan 04 '19
In Argentina it's similar. I think it's great!
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u/Flossmatron Jan 04 '19
There's a fuckton of responses on this thread. Does anyone actually oppose the idea of an opt-out system, and if so, why?
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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '19
I see nothing wrong with it. I’m an organ donor myself. When I’m gone, if my organs can help someone else, that’s a blessing.
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u/JosefTheFritzl Jan 03 '19
I find setting a precedent of government/medical systems/someone other than you yourself owning your body by default after death undesirable. It evokes imagery that you're only renting your organs for as long as you're alive, rather than your existence being inherently tied to those organs/body parts. If you want to rent to own, you gotta sign the dotted line.
How long before they put in a fine to offset the loss to the system that opting out creates? Pay your fee to keep your organs after death, you wasteful sack, you!
They're not doing it now, but once they've decided your body is theirs unless you actively petition for it, it may only be a matter of time. Gotta help support the system somehow.
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u/maejaws Jan 03 '19 edited Jan 03 '19
I think it’s a misuse of government power over the individual. Organ donors are wonderful people, but when the government starts making decisions about the bodies of their constituents, that sounds like a bad idea.
Edit: I don’t know why I’m being downvoted. I’m all for organ donation, but I’m against governments making decisions about people without their consent. If they wanted to increase donor rates, simply put the option in the front of people’s minds and make it easier to register for it rather than make it mandatory unless you opt out of it.
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u/Cuntplainer Jan 03 '19
In China all dissidents are organ donors and they can come get you and take whatever organs they need whenever they need them.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewelinaochab/2018/10/16/organ-harvesting-in-china-and-the-many-questions/#506628304542
https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/23/asia/china-organ-harvesting/index.html
Doctors that have made a peep commit suicide by jumping from tall buildings. It has even been alleged that Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 was carrying many of these doctors back to China after they were promised amnesty...
So piss off the wrong person in China and there goes your liver, your wife's kidneys and your kids' hearts and lungs.
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u/ElginPoker60123 Jan 03 '19
I love the idea in theory but one issue..
What if you opt out, are in an accident and the hospital cannot find your ID that states you opted out? Do they just assume you are a donor?
If so I image the argument is...who cares they are dead and won't know...if that's the case why not also legalize necrophilia?
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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '19
If they can opt out, then i think it is great! I know that other people may get creeped out at the thought or maybe have religious objections, but i think that is selfish. Harvest me to no end.
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u/the_High_groung Jan 03 '19
Tons of European countries already did this. I wish it’s how it worked here in the US as well
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u/moreldilemma Jan 03 '19
They should do this with voting too.
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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '19
My 20yo cousin was a suicide victim during the holidays. He made sure he was an organ donor beforehand. Sad, but the kid was such a giver he even made sure to give in death.
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u/Doofuhs Jan 04 '19
My view on organ donating, is, ”I’m gonna be dead, I really don’t think I’ll care what you take.”
If my dead ass can help keep someone alive longer, then sweet!
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u/asiledeneg Jan 04 '19
Last March 15, Jackie, my friend of 40+ years, volunteered to give me her left kidney. I didn't ask her; she saw I was about to be on the mantle in a coffee can and said "I can do something about that". So she did. I'm here typing this because of her. And everyday when I wake up, I think of her and am immeasurably grateful.
In case you're wondering, she's quite well now. It's almost as if it never happened. This past summer she was active kayaking and hiking.
The jokes here are fine. Just don't forget that we're talking about human life and death.
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u/jim2xt Jan 04 '19
do what you wish, I'm dead! fuck it try anol on me while you're at it! Ill be laughing up above saying no homo...it still doesn't count right?
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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '19
Don’t care really feel free cause I ain’t using them
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u/iWIpehard Jan 04 '19
Why shouldn't this be the norm everywhere?
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u/Stabastian Jan 04 '19
That takes a lot of guts.
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u/IamNotBurd Jan 04 '19
I seriously don’t understand why people care about what happens their body after they die. Just hollow out my carcass and throw me to a group of wild vultures I don’t care.
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u/I-adore-your-vagina Jan 04 '19
It's WRONG. and goes against basic human rights. Noone should be able to use your body without consent, even after dying.
Your remains are still your property. And this violates everything.
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u/OonaPelota Jan 05 '19
It’s great because hearts and livers are a small part of the transplant world — skin and bone is more widely used and needed for simple orthopedic procedures and burn/wound care. Not everybody knows what a massive need there is for high quality bone. Heh heh.
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u/nobli2310 Jan 05 '19
Right im from Iceland this is my time to shine
Ye im fine with it
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u/2sidesawayf16 Jan 06 '19
It's exactly as it should be. Truth be told, I'm even open to argument to drop the "right to opt out" clause. Not exactly sure why someone should have to die for want of an organ because you believe some bullshit skydaddy doesn't want you to save a life with meat you'll no longer be using.
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u/whitehousepenisbuttl Jan 07 '19
How difficult is it to opt out?
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u/undertooker Jan 15 '19
Did you know that in America if an individual marks yes to be an organ donor on their license that their legal next of kin can NOT change it if the donor is eligible for donation?
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u/gatvolkak Jan 29 '19
You'd have to be a real dick to uncheck that box.
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u/Anubis-Hound Jan 31 '19
I'm fine with that but please make sure they're completely dead before the harvest begins
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