Columnist: Government Should Take Organs for Donation

I have said many times that we abandon the embryo at our own peril. Once we allow some human organisms to be ripped apart for their cells, then we all start to look more and more like harvestable biological material.No where is this more apparent than in the debates about organ donation. Donating organs in the event of death used to be considered something that should be completely voluntary and without incentive. But because the demand for organ outweighs the supply, more and more we are hearing that organ donation should be "opt-out" instead of "opt-in" where doctors presume consent unless otherwise specified and family members have no say in the matter.After all, you are a bag of organs that could be used better elsewhere.Ted Rall, American columnist and cartoonist, goes one step further and says organ donation should be mandatory, no "opt-out" allowed, and the government should just take organs for those who need them. From "Mandatory Organ Donation":On the other hand, it is estimated that 18 people die every day due to a national shortage of organ donations. This crisis can be solved.Don’t worry: This is not one of those pieces calling for you to consider signing the donor section on the back of your driver’s license. My solution is more radical: When you die, the government should take your organs....If the government can save 18 people a day by harvesting every available organ, why doesn’t it pass a law making it so?...About 2...
Source: Mary Meets Dolly - Category: Geneticists and Genetics Commentators Tags: Science and Ethics Source Type: blogs