On Wednesday, New Jersey passed a law that in five years will require residents seeking driver’s licenses to decide whether they want to become organ donors. Currently New Jersey, like Washington and most other states, offers the option of checking an organ donation box when applying for a license or state ID card. Under the new law, those who check the box will have their name maintained in a state registry; those who don’t will have to “acknowledge reviewing information about” organ donation.
That part of the law seems a bit heavy-handed — do you need a license for a guilt trip? On the other hand, if it increases registries, more power to New Jersey. What would really help is if the information to be reviewed contained the personal stories and pictures of those awaiting organ or tissue donation. Humanizing their great need through education is the other, better part of New Jersey’s law — it incorporates mandatory organ donation education into the high school curriculum, beginning with the 2009-10 school year. Institutions of higher education will be required to provide information on New Jersey’s organ donor policies through student health services.
As of Monday, 99,355 people in the United States were awaiting an organ transplant, according to organdonor.gov. The number of transplants performed from January to April 2008 was only 9,029. Since 1995, more than 85,000 Americans have died waiting for an organ, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Those sad and embarrassing numbers make New Jersey’s heavy-handedness understandable — whatever it takes.
Recently, several states, including Texas, having increased organ donor registrations by allowing people to sign up online. Washington also offers this option — the registry can be found at donatelife.net. The oganization Donate Life America recently reported a 10 percent increase in donor designations over the past 18 months, bringing the total number of registered donors in the United States to nearly 70 million. However, only 35 percent of licensed drivers and ID card holders have signed up to be donors.
People have several options when it comes to donating — from giving just their corneas to donating their entire body. Options also exist for living donations. Financial donations are always helpful. The “stories of hope” on Donate Life America’s Web site make for powerfully persuasive reading for anyone trying to decide whether to become a donor. The site also reminds visitors that “All major religions in the United States support organ, eye and tissue donation and see it as the final act of love and generosity toward others.”
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