General Discussion

The point of registering as an organ donor is for the donor to declare their intent in a way that is legally binding and family members cannot override. I want any useable organ I have left in my body when I die to go to anyone who needs it. Period. I don't care what my spouse, parents, siblings, etc. want. I want my body used to save the lives of others (heart, lungs, kidneys, liver), or to make life easier for others (skin, cornea, et.) Fortunately, al of my relatives who might have any say agree with me.

But - prior to registration via the driver's license, it was hit or miss as to whether organs were donated - even when the deceased had clear preference they had expressed to many people. Medical staff first had to ask a family in the middle of one of the toughest moments of their life about the possibility of donation. The deceased person often had not discussed the matter with family - AND - sometimes even when the family knew the wishes of the deceased but could not overcome their grief to allow the donation.

In most states, registration as an organ donor is definitive proof of the intents of the decedent and cannot be overridden by the family. It isn't a matter of ownership. It is a matter of my right to have my clearly expressed decisions about my body respected.