Submitted by Steve Ferkau, Apr 4, 2007 11:49

Conceptually, Lifesharers has a valid point -- if you're not willing to sign your donor card and declare that you are willing to donate at the time of your death, why should you be allowed to receive an organ... Their take is that organs should be allocated first to people who have stated their intent to donate.

Their allocation list directs organs from a donor on their list, where possible, to a recipient on their list... Allocation on their list is based on rank on the UNOS list within their list -- and if allocation on their list is not possible, the organ is allocated based on UNOS allocation. UNOS and every state allows directed donation and this is simply a form of directed donation. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the idea that the members on this list are effectively "cutting in line" which can be discussed ad nauseum... The fact right now is that there are less than 10,000 people on the Lifesharers list and an organ has never been placed within the Lifesharers list...

What bothers me is their primary concept -- that if you do not specifically declare your intent to donate, you do not deserve to receive... I've gathered information from a number of organ procurement organizations -- Nearly half of people and families committing to organ donation fall into a category where the donor did NOT state their intent -- they did NOT sign a donor card -- they did NOT sign their license saying they wanted to donate their organs -- they did NOT sign up on their state's donor or first person consent registry. The family was approached at their time of greatest grief and they agreed to help others... At the most painful moment in their lives, they agreed to donate their loved one's organs to save other's lives...

It's a large percentage of people who do not commit in advance, for whatever reason... What Lifesharers is telling you and me and them and their families is that donor and that donor family would not merit -- would not deserve to have their life saved. I think it's an incredible slap in the face to a LARGE percentage of donor families.

In my heart, I think that this organization may have been started with good intention -- but I find their declarations at to who does, and who does not deserve an organ disturbing and hypocritical... People are human (at least most are) and delaying or denying a decision like this seems to be natural -- but when the time comes where that decision is forced, many struggling families make the good decision – Lifesharers, Mr. Henderson and Mr. Undis say they deserve no consideration.

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