Presumed Consent

I just walked by my dad’s stereo and some talk radio guys were discussing a bill that the NDP are putting forward in Ontario to presume consent for organ donorship (odd, Firefox tells me that’s not a word).

The problem, apparently, is that too many people are getting hit by cars without signing their organ donor cards. I am of two minds on this. On the one mind, I think it’s kind of silly or selfish to try to keep your organs after you die. On the other, I dislike the idea of presuming consent to have something taken from you. I think that I would side with the NDP on this if there wasn’t a third option.

The problem is not so much that people are neglecting to become organ donors. It’s that being an organ donor means having to sign and carry and care for a flimsy little piece of paper for five years. Of all the cards that I have to take care of, the organ donor card is the least durable. Or was the least durable. I had to take it out of my wallet a year after I put it in there because it was so messed up.

The solution is, rather than give people a separate piece of paper with their driver’s license, make them declare their consent at the DMV when they renew their license. Then make note of the answer on their driver’s license. Very few people walk around without that.

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