In New York State, any resident who wishes to donate his or her organs at the time of death may do so by filling out the proper information on the back of a driver's license. However, more than 6,000 people die each year because there are not enough organs to fulfill transplantation needs.
Given the relative ease with which New York State residents can consent to use of their organs following death, one might assume that there would not be a huge demand. In reality, the opposite is true.
According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Web site, the average patient waits anywhere between six months and three years for a life-saving organ transplant.
"People die everyday waiting because there's not enough organs," said Anne Paschky, spokesperson for the United Network for Organ Sharing. "Seventeen people die each day because organs don't come in time."
One reason for the shortage of organ donors is that many people are unaware of the process that they must go through to make themselves eligible. According to Edward Kraus, director of Organ Services at Upstate New York Transplant in Buffalo, the public is not properly informed about the specifics of the organ donor program.
"It can be somewhat confusing," said Kraus. "There is information provided in the driver's license renewal application, but honestly, I doubt that most people read it. Most people are not aware of the process involved in signing up for the registry."
UB students interviewed said not enough information has been made available to them regarding donor rights. Though a brief glance at the back of one's driver's license notifies them that donation is an option, some students said that an effort has never been made to thoroughly explain the program.
"I think it's lack of information sent to people," said Carly Christiansen, a freshman English major. "They don't send out any information. My communications class is the first time I heard anything about it."
Some prospective donors fear that if they agree to become a donor, every effort will not be made to save their life in the case of a severe accident.
"You hear horror stories about the hospitals letting you die because they want your organs," said Megan Underhill, a sophomore nursing major.
Another factor that weighs into the organ shortage is the attitude that many people have toward their own mortality, according to Paschky.
"Being relatively young, you really haven't thought about it," she said. "I think it's easy as a college student to think 'this isn't something I have to worry about now.' One person can make a difference. One person can take up to eight people off the waiting list," she said.
According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, people between the ages of 18 and 34 made up 27.5 percent of all organ donations in 2002, the highest out of any age group. Kraus said he believes this is because younger people tend to have a more modern view regarding organ transplantation and are more willing to become donors.
"There is an association with losing your integrity," said Slawomir Staworko, a graduate student studying computer science. "You don't want to think about giving something very personal to someone else and you don't want to think about what will happen after death."
Whether for religious reasons or just personal preference, many people still wish to have their remains left intact when they are deceased. Organ donation advocates see this as an old fashioned point of view.
"I think a lot of people are really vain and selfish," said Teo Lazar, a senior English major.
In the eight counties that make up Western New York, a region that contains 1.5 million people, there were only 45 organ donations made last year. Though not nearly sufficient, this is above average for the United States.
"That puts us in the upper echelon of the country. We have a very high consent here compared to other parts of the country," said Kraus.
In addition to filling out the information on the back of their license, it is very important that people wishing to donate organs inform their next of kin of the decision they have made.
"If you have signed a donor card, it is considered a legal document and that must be upheld," said Kraus. "In spite of the fact that we have a signed donor card, the family technically can dispute their loved one's wishes. This has been upheld at times."
For more information on organ donation, go to http://www.optn.org.
