ORGAN DONATION

April 2001
		What does it mean to be an organ donor? Deputy Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu responds to your questions and comments.

Forum introduction How old is too old to be a donor? How do I find out about a specific donation? Can I be a living donor? What are the costs incurred by the family? I wish someone had asked me. Is it dangerous to be an organ donor? A message from a recipient Online Special: Organ Donation Return to the NewsHour's coverage of health	Amy Seyler of Jersey Shore, PA asks: I would like to be an organ donor, but hesitate to carry a card because of all the stories I hear about people who have gone for non-life threatening treatment at the hospital and died for their organs to be sold by medical personnel. Could this be a reason why other people are hesitant to donate their organs? Other family members feel the same way. They would like to but are leery. Is there a solution? Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu responds: Your question addresses one of the several widespread myths about organ and tissue donation and transplantation, and underscores the need for more awareness and education about organ donation. Health care professionals have a legal, moral, and ethical responsibility to do all they can to save a life. It is only when death is inevitable and imminent, that the organ procurement organization is called; and it is only after death has occurred that a transplant team is summoned to recover the donated organs and tissues. Health professionals do not treat a potential organ donor any differently than another patient who comes to them for care; nor do health care providers do anything to hasten the death of a potential organ donor.