The New York Times just published an opinion piece with a shocking headline: “Donor Organs Are Too Rare. We Need a New Definition of Death.”
Yes, you read that correctly. The authors, a cardiologist and two heart transplant directors, argued that the rules for declaring someone dead should be loosened—so hospitals can harvest more organs.
Before organ harvesting occurs, a patient must first be declared dead. There are currently two ways to declare death. The first is circulatory death, where the body as whole ceases to function because your heart has stopped beating. The second is when the brain ceases to function (even if the heart, lungs, and the rest of the body continues to function). That’s known as “brain death.”
Right now, there’s a waiting period before organs can be harvested. Ideally, this is done to ensure the patient has truly died, but patients declared “brain dead” are alive. This waiting period does not protect them. The medical community argues that the waiting period can mean the organs become unusable. Their “solution?” Broaden the definition of death to obtain more viable organs.
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A new medical procedure is being seen as the gateway to obtain more viable organs, normothermic regional perfusion, known as “NRP.” NRP can temporarily restore circulation to all of a dead person’s organs–except the brain–for the purpose of organ donation. By broadening the definition of death, these patients would remain legally dead even if their circulatory function is restored.
This is deeply troubling. Being an organ donor itself carries risks many people don’t know about.
Note: You and your family can still choose to donate your organs when you pass away, but signing up as an organ donor may harm you in a vulnerable situation.
Most organ donations rely on “brain death” diagnoses. In fact “brain death” was developed as a way to obtain more viable organs. This process is more subjective than people think.
Different hospitals have different protocols for determining “brain death.” There are no universal requirements.
- Most hospitals perform one bedside test or a physical examination.This looks for motor reflexes, such as pupillary, corneal, and gag reflexes.
- Additional testing may be done, but it is not required. A patient’s family can ask a doctor to perform extra testing, but they’re at the physician’s mercy.
- If a hospital has a standard protocol, they may allow physicians free reign to choose looser measures.
- Some patients have been declared “brain dead” but then woke up and recovered completely. Shocking cases like those of TJ Hoover and Jenny Haman are some examples.
- Even pro-ethuanasia bioethicists are publicly arguing that there is too much variation in how brain death is determined across the country.
Once a patient is declared dead, he no longer has rights. Neither does the family.
If we’re going to say someone is dead, shouldn’t we be sure they really are?
This uncertainty can have devastating consequences—especially for people with that little red heart on their driver’s licenses.
At Texas Right to Life we have seen how hospitals and doctors jump to conclusions for the purpose of obtaining more organs, ignoring the value of brain-injured or disabled patients.
The truth is, “brain death” is not foolproof. That’s why for centuries, circulatory death—the irreversible stopping of the heart—has been the true standard.
Broadening the definition of death once more to increase organ supply is dangerous. Every family deserves certainty when it comes to a loved one’s life or death and every human being deserves to be seen as valuable regardless of their prognosis or expected health outlook.
We cannot accept a medical culture where organ donors are treated with less value and caution simply because “they wanted to donate anyway.”
Want to withdraw from the organ donor registry?
You and your family can still choose to donate your organs when you pass away, even if you don’t have the little red heart on your license. You can tell your loved ones ahead of time what circumstances you wouldn’t want treatment.
However, if you signed up to be an organ donor, you may be taking that power away from your family and putting it in the hands of hospital attorneys.
In order to ensure that your loved ones are able to advocate for you in the difficult situation of a brain death diagnosis, consider withdrawing from the organ donor registry.
You should also update your physical driver’s license card as soon as possible and inform your loved ones of your decisions in writing, as the online registry may be slow to reflect updates.
LifeNews Note: Ashlynn Lemos is the communications intern for Texas Right to Life.
