What Are the Pros and Cons of Organ Donation?

Pros

You are saving a life.
You will feel good about yourself.
You are putting an organ to use once you no longer need it.
The size of the organ donor waiting list decreases.

Cons

You have to have surgery.
You will not have the organ if you ever need it.
You will not have the organ if a family member ever needs it.
Rumors circulate about organs which come from deceased donors.

Pros of Organ Donation

Saving a Life

Quite frequently, someone who is on an organ donor list is going to pass away if they do not receive the organ. Sometimes these individuals are small children who have not even had the chance to accomplish all of their goals.

Feeling Good

After you give another person your kidney, for example, you will probably feel quite positive about yourself. Even if you sign the back of your license to allow for organ donation once you have passed, you will know that you are leaving something great for humanity.

Putting an Organ to Use

This idea goes along with the concept of signing your license to allow for organ donation when you are deceased. Obviously, you do not need the organs anymore, so you are able to pass them on to someone else.

Donor Waiting List

There are huge donor waiting lists in hospitals across the world. Not only are you helping the person or persons who receive your organ(s), but you are also helping to reduce the size of these waiting lists, thereby allowing others to get organs faster as well.

Cons of Organ Donation

Surgery

Individuals doing a life donation will have to have surgery and be ready to accept all of the risks that come along with it. You should ask the surgeon about your procedure specifically, in order to know about any potential complications. With any surgery, you will have a period of recovery.

Not Having the Organ Anymore

This scenario is two fold. Let's say that you donate one of your kidneys. What happens if later in life, your other kidney fails? Certainly, you still did a good deed, but will you wonder if you would have been OK if you would have just kept your own kidney?

Additionally, you might have these sorts of feelings of regret if anyone in your immediate family ever needed a kidney. What if you have a child at some point or what if an aging parent needs a kidney and you can no longer donate since you have already given one of yours away?

Rumors

Sometimes people are a little bit afraid to sign the back of their drivers licenses. Rumors have circulated for years that if you are in a car crash or other accident and the rescuers see that you are an organ donor, they will not try as hard to save you since they know how long the waiting lists are. Clearly, there is an urban legend here, but people are still wary of these types of situations.