Suicide and Organ Donation: A System to Save Lives?
Filed Under (Issues) by admin on 09-01-2009
Tagged Under : Organ Donation, Suicide
I recently had one of those discussions with a friend that runs the course from discussion to debate to argument, and back to discussion. I have a few friends where discussions often get political or moral and someone has to be the devil’s advocate. It’s all just part of the dynamic of the relationship and, oddly enough, in this case, we actually ended up seeing fairly eye-to-eye on the matter.
The discussion actually started with the death penalty, and then moved in a different and unique direction. I looked at the present methods of execution that are commonly used in jurisdictions that have capital punishment and considered how many of them would leave the executed prisoner’s organs permanently damaged, whether from poison or from decay immediately following death.
I then proposed that prisoners on death row should be given the option of choosing a method of execution that would allow their organs to be harvested and transplanted to needy recipients. A more extreme alternative would involve harvesting the organs regardless of the prisoner’s choice, but we didn’t go too far down that moral road.
Anyway, giving prisoners this option seemed like a good idea because not only would it allow 6 or more other lives to be saved from functional hearts, lungs, livers and so on… But it would:
THE NEED FOR ORGANS
The discussion then turned to suicide, and we examined the methods commonly employed, whether they be gunshots, hanging, jumping, toaster in the bathtub, whatever. The point was that few or none of these actions undertaken by desperate or depressed individuals would allow their organs to be harvested in a usable manner. And who is to say that people who have been pushed to the point of suicide wouldn’t heavily prefer to save other lives on their way out?
In order for organs like lungs, hearts, livers, kidneys or the pancreas (the ones that truly save lives) to be harvested in a way that can help others, they have to be accessed almost immediately upon death. Typically, what is required is brain death, where the person is already lying in the hospital with a beating heart. All that is left is to make it official.
And it is only a very small percentage of deaths that result in the possibility of life saving organ transplantation, hence the overwhelming waiting lists and shortage of organs. It is pretty much a guarantee that anyone who jumps from a bridge or cuts their wrists will not have organs that could help anyone by the time their bodies are discovered or retrieved.
The question became, what if there was a way for people, who are hell bent and adamant about taking their own lives, to provide their organs to the needy? Would this be an alternative or a system worth pursuing?
THE BENEFITS OF A SUICIDE ORGAN DONATION SYSTEM
The motives a person would have for such an extreme action as suicide could cover a very wide range. Some people might hate the world, in which case, they may have little interest in helping strangers. But others may simply be catastrophically depressed, or have suffered great loss or seemingly irreparable damage to their future outlook.
There is no reason why it can be assumed that such people would not vastly prefer to save the lives of others with organs they would no longer need if they are ultimately going to make the tragic decision to take their own lives.
Furthermore, one of the greatest concerns of suicide victims (as often evidenced by the content of their notes) is the pain they may cause to the loved ones they leave behind. While the suicide of a loved one must be an almost impossible event to accept, it may be of some assistance in the healing process for those left behind to know that their loved one’s death did help save other lives, perhaps half a dozen. This knowledge has been known to be helpful to family members of people who die by other means resulting in organ donation.
As well, another moral side issue that we didn’t travel very far down involved the possibility of compensation for these organs from a government fund, which would be helpful in dealing with funeral and future expenses. It would naturally be important, however, not to provide incentives for people who might be undecided to cross the line toward suicide.
Regardless, it must, almost be definition, be the case that the last portion of one’s life before summoning the will to take his or her own life is an extremely sad and horrendous time. If that decision has been made and is inevitable, perhaps the knowledge that there was a means through which they could help others would make their last days, hours or minutes somewhat more palatable.
CONCERNS WITH A SUICIDE ORGAN DONATION SYSTEM
The greatest concern seemed to be that society would be legitimizing suicide as a reasonable solution to one’s problems, something it has always been loathe to do. However, it is also our job as a society to recognize reality, and suicide always has been and always will be one of the leading causes of death. If there is a way to make a horrible event somewhat less horrible, and save lives in the process, at a minimum it warrants some examination.
As well, as previously mentioned, the last thing such a system should do is make suicide a more attractive option for people who still may (hopefully) decide that it is not the solution for them. The last thing anybody would want is an increase in suicides that would not otherwise occur.
Finally, there would be some logistical concerns in implementing a system that allowed for those who are insistent on ending their lives to do so in a manner that allowed them to donate their organs. The particular method and location would have to be suited for this purpose. Surgeons would have to be given prompt notice – perhaps even required to be present for the suicide – and some doctors might be placed in a situation that created moral issues for them.
As a possible positive side effect, however, the extra planning and structure involved might actually deter people from committing suicide. If a potential suicide victim was seriously contemplating the organ donation scheme, he or she would no longer be able to simply do the deed on a whim when they are having a particularly bad day. They would have to plan ahead a little bit for the organ harvesting process, during which time, they may have an opportunity to reconsider things or benefit from a stabilized mood.
MY PERSPECTIVE
I am going on the record as stating that I support such a system. At the very least, it should be studied and explored. The potential exists to save countless human without losing any more than we were going to already. As well, it is possible to give a horribly distraught segment of our population something to feel better about, whether it is their own impending death or the tragic loss to suicide of someone they loved.
The idea sounds difficult to stomach at first. But if we, as a society, have the potential to save lives – quite possibly the lives of children in desperate need of organs – then it is immoral not to explore such an option merely because it seems…icky.
ARTICLE CONTINUED: Part 2: Give These People Some Credit
ARTICLE CONTINUED: Part 3: Some Practical and Moral Considerations
I wholeheartedly agree
I think this is a fantastic idea and I’ve been trying to find some information on this. It seems like people that are shooting themselves outside of hospitals are not doing the right thing. In order to harvest the brain needs to be dead, but not the body. Still looking for more details on how this can be done?
What a load of crap, like suicides care about anybody but themself. They’re too busy quitting with their own problems to worry aboutanybody else who need organs.
What are you kidding “get real”? What makes you think just because someone’s life is intolerable that they don’t care about other people? Maybe they’re ending their lives BECAUSE they care about other people.
I’ve always had questions about this topic. How do you go about doing what Will Smith did in the movie? What is the best idea on how to not waste an organ?
I would really like to see this happen soon. I want to do something unselfish as my last action to counteract the “selfishness” of suicide. Btw, we do care about other people- or at least I do. I care about what everyone else thinks, way too much. I want to die so no one will have to deal with me. So, I think this would be a good thing because then I will have actually done something good for the world.
I hear you, Hotpockets. I too would like to give my organs to others when I inevitably kill myself–Get Real, you have no idea what you are talking about. Hotpockets, my motivations are more philosophically motivated; while I do understand how suicide is selfish, I doubt people mind “dealing with you”.
THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE SERIOUS ABOUT SUICIDE THAT WANT TO AT LEAST DO ONE LAST OR ONLY GOOD THING WITH THEIR LIFE BY DONATING ORGANS BEFORE KILLING THEMSELVES. THEY THINK THIS WILL GIVE THEIR FAMILIES SOME COMFORT KNOWING THAT PART OF THEM IS LIVING ON IN SOMEONE ELSE AND THE BURDEN OF HAVING TO LIVE WITH THE SUICIDAL OR DEPRESSED PERSON IS OVER AND EVERYONE CAN BE HAPPY AGAIN AND MOVE ON.
wow…I don’t even know what to say…. its something I would do…
I know of someone who is planning on ending life in 4 weeks and is, how do you say, healthy as a stallion. This person says that life has been a failure and wants to leave something behind that others can use. Is there a place he could go so he can push a button, die in peace and have someone use his body parts, all of which are working very good?
To my knowledge, no such option currently exists, certainly not in legal channels in the first world. At the moment it’s just a theory and a suggestion.
I’m a bit confused. I had assumed that if you drove outside a hospital, and called the hospital from your cell phone in your car to inform them of your impending suicide, and then shot yourself in the head….they would be able to rush out into the circle drive in the parking lot and get your organs out inside in time to harvest them (just make sure you leave your doors unlocked). I figured you’d have at least about 5 minutes of blood pumping into your heart and nutrients still keeping other major organs alive or something!
Are you telling me that even in this very short period of time they wouldn’t be able to harvest the organs for a suitable transplant? I plan to take my life on a certain date next year, and it is very important to me to do the most good possible. I really didn’t want to have to run into the hospital itself and shoot myself in front of the doctors themselves. Seems a bit unfair and traumatic to the doctors. (Note: a google search for “organ donor suicide” repeatedly tells the story of a man who shot himself in the head, and donated his heart to another man who then married the former’s widow, and then shot himself 12 years later. So, I’m thinking this method should be suitable at least in keeping the heart alive, if not other organs and tissues.)
I can promise that knowing I will help others will not factor into my decision of whether or not to end my life, that decision is made strictly on my own quality of life. But it would make me feel a lot better about my life, and I would hope it could give some consolation to family who will be trying to make sense of it. Also, it would really piss me off that my death *could* save others, but it didn’t.
Well, I am certainly not hoping to encourage anyone to commit suicide and I hope you find some pleasure in life before your selected date comes around next year and change your mind. But the way I see it, shooting yourself in the head near a hospital may be the most likely way to make your organs useful – but is a far cry from an organized system that would guarantee it. A lot is left to chance. The wound might not be fatal and could leave the person alive but possibly incapacitated, disabled or brain damaged – but nonetheless able to be saved.
And without very explicit instructions, wishes and directions a lot of confusion could ensue that might result in the organs becoming unusable.
I will just say that assuming the parking lot / gun plan is guaranteed to go off without a hitch is probably a bit optimistic. That said, I don’t really know for sure.
And again, I hope you think things through and do consider alternatives to suicide – I should say “continue to consider them” as I’m sure you have given it a great deal of thought already.
Well isn’t this a peace of work. Now what kind of picture are you portraying to someone who’s really down in the dumps?
“Hey, I know the world’s taken everything you love that makes life worth living, but I’d really like to take other parts of you. No really! And remember, you’re not alone in your struggle -we’ll be right here with our ice boxes awaiting your failure to thrive. Just tell us when you’re about to hit the big switch -kay? Kthnxbye!”
Dear Up,
I might question upon reading your comment whether you’ve ever:
(a) been so “down in the dumps” that you have been in the same boat as people who would consider participating in such a system,
(b) lost anybody to suicide and been unable to find anything even remotely positive or healing to grasp from the situation or
(c) lost anybody you care about while they were on a waiting list for organs.
Actually I was -and the email I gave earlier’s fake -if you google it, it’ll land you in a search engine.
But I was. I’m not going to lie. I really was and I googled organ donation and suicide since not so long ago I was reading an article about how an actress from the spiderman 3 movie recently hit the big switch..
The very idea of this to me makes me angry. I see that there is good coming from this, but just the idea ticked me off. (selfish right?)
Anyways, thanks for not deleting my post. I just felt like it would be very hurtful if I for some God-forsaken reason wound up hitting my own switch and then someone taking my organs. I’d feel defiled. Like the world really did want me out of the way so they could get my organs. I’d feel justified in despising the world.
I personally wouldn’t want a heart, lung or anything else from someone who didn’t value their own life. I want to live, but not with the help of someone who doesn’t want to.
-you’re a good mod for not deleting my post.. I honestly was sorta sure you would. Thanks for proving me wrong. (No.. I’m not down in the dumps.. but having your heart broken shortens the path.. been there.)
Dear Up,
No problem. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I welcome open discussion on the matter. I also appreciate your acknowledging the other side respectfully even if you don’t agree with it.
I should point out, however, that I was not suggesting taking everyone who commits suicide and simply harvesting their organs against their will. That wouldn’t really work anyway since the organs would have decayed beyond use quite rapidly under “normal” suicide circumstances.
I was just suggesting providing the option for people who take their lives to be able to do it in a way that allows their organs to be used, if that is what they want. And I have received a pretty high amount of feedback from people suggesting that they would want this.
Also, you stated that you wouldn’t want an organ from someone who had taken their own life. While I think anyone might reconsider that position after an extended period on a waiting list with declining health, I also think that it would be possible for people on waiting lists to deny suicide-related organs and have them go to the next person on the list who didn’t have that issue.
Sorry this is so late, but I had to chime in here…
First, this discussion shows a lack of understanding about the process or organ donation. Both my father and brother have recieved kidneys–one a cadaver, one a live donor.
With a cadaver donation, you don’t get told anything about who is making the donation. The only information may be about an elderly person (over 65) who is a match for a younger person. Then there is an option to hold out for a younger donor or take the less viable donation (this is usually in extreme cases or when the person has been on the list for a while). So I don’t see a practical way to allow people to say no to a deathrow or suicide donor–one doesn’t get an option based on personal taste (imagine people refusing based on race or sex!), one only gets an option when there is a medical reason. Cause of death is not a medical reason, the condition of the organ is.
A living person can donate a kidney, a lung, a piece of liver (it regenerates), bone marrow, blood, and plasma. Maybe not a heart or pancreas, but still pretty good. Many lives saved. One doesn’t have to be dead to donate.
It is complete unethical to encourage suicide as a means to organ donation. A more effective way to get more organ donations is to have people opt out instead of opting in–in Europe it is assumed that you will donate upon death unless you specify otherwise, in the US it is opposite. Donation rates are dramaticly different.
Personally, I also feel that compensating the donating family for medical and/or funeral costs or, for a live donation, out-of-pocket expenses, would increase the number of people willing to do so.
As for live donors–there is already a rather long process to go through in order to be allowed to donate, including financial and psychological counselling. If there is the slightest hint of coercion, the transplant can be called off. I can’t even imagine what a system designed to allow suicide would entail.
First ethic: the medical system is designed to save viable lives. No exceptions. (Someone with a terminal illness, by definition, isn’t viable, which is why some states have started allowing assisted-suicide in those cases. But the understanding is that there is no hope and little quality of life.) To take advantage of a mentally ill person who is otherwise healthy would be completely unethical. The medical system would have to do everything in their power to prevent the suicide, which includes hospitalization, medication, and a suicide watch. So I would think it impossible to have medically sanctioned suicide-donation.
People contemplating suicide and organ donation should try just organ donation first. You get a nice stay in a hospital and the admiration and attention of everyone around you. You save a life, a heroic act.
i want to die, i will give all my organs away
Has anyone looked into possibly finding a medical professional (in a foreign country with less governance surrounding physician assisted suicide etc) to donate organs upon departure/suicide? The idea of ending one’s life in a different country may start a whole new thread and argument, but if the focus is doing that one last good thing upon death, saving 6 people means saving 6 people, whether they are Americans, Australians, Italians, British, etc. I would rather rest in peace in the U.S. but if it meant saving one more life, I would have to reevaluate my thoughts and just tell someone to send my body (if thats even possible) back to the U.S. or worst case the ashes. Hope this isn’t offensive to anyone, but maybe will shed some light or hope on the idea.
There are some people in this world who do want to die, but I agree with ‘I Am Real’. Some people care about other people so badly that they are willing to sacrifice themselves for a random stranger. Whether they be suicidal or not. Like me, I want to donate my heart to someone just so they can have a better life. It’s not suicide because you aren’t doing it yourself. It’s sacrifice and the last time I checked, sacrificing your life for someone else’s life isn’t suicidal.
I’ll admit I’m young, but I want to give someone else my life, not because I want to die or because I want to commit suicide, it’s because I care. I don’t see anthing truly fantastic happening in my future when at the hospital there could be someone who is going to cure cancer for all we know.
It’s sacrifice. Not suicide.
I really need an answer to this. I have wanted to die for a long time but donot want to hurt my family. I have ruined my professional life with a felony because I begged my wife not to leave me. My life is not worth living and all I think about is a way to end it. Please tell me where I can get help ending my life and I will donate all my organs to help someone els that has not messed up their lives.
Dear Conscious,
From my post above, you can see that I have unorthodox views on suicide, and I retain these views and desires. Because of this, I must say that I acknowledge that what I say is purely my opinion, take it or leave it. I hope you will interpret this as such, and not as me trying to preach to you.
I think it’s kind of sad that you say that you don’t want to die, but that you’d like to sacrifice your life to someone else. You are a human being, and you have value, and you deserve happiness in this life. You are not a sacrificial lamb. For you to commit suicide for the purpose of organ donation to some random stranger would not be an admirable or moral act. In fact, it would be (in my opinion at least) a reprehensible and immoral action. You have been given the gift of human life which is the most beautiful and wonderful thing in this world. To want to “sacrifice” yourself, as you say, in this way would be to deny your own humanity, and to claim yourself not even worthy to be alive and breathe. This would not be a moral teaching, it is inhumane poison. Perhaps you actually are suicidal, and you just prefer to believe that your desire to die is purely altruistic. If so, I would encourage you to be honest with yourself and take steps to change your life so you will no longer feel this way. I don’t know you, so I will not elaborate on this possibility.
Let’s assume that you actually do wish to help people. There are many ways you can do this. You could get involved with a charitable organization that helps the poor in your community or in foreign countries. I am extremely secular, but there are many church/religious organizations that help people, as well as many secular ones. You could work to help infrastructure and development in economically disadvantaged countries. This kind of work could help scores more than your idea of sacrifice. Your idea of sacrifice would not be the one which would help the most people–it’s just the laziest way you could help people, without doing any actual work. Also, you would not be considering the pain, suffering, and guilt it would cause to those close to you. If you have a passion to help others, I think you can do better than that.
You said yourself that you are young, so you should have a lot of time to think about this before taking drastic action. Maybe you disagree with my assessment. Maybe your brain just works different than probably most other people in the world, and you will wish to do this. In that case, I would say that there is no rush. There will still be people in dire need or organ donation 5, 10, 20, 30 years from now, so you are not doing the world any favors by checking out now. I would hope that by that time you would place a higher value on your life. You have shown by your post that you to some degree care about the people around you, and I think the world needs more people like that and not less.