Peer Review Assignment for the Proposal Essay
Organ Donations Needed 1
Organ Donations Needed 3
Organ Donations Needed
Shelly Rodriguez
Grand Canyon University
ENG-106-TO: Public Speaking
Richard F. Gaspar, Ph.D.
May 17, 2021
Organ Donations Needed
There are thousands of patients on the organ waiting list waiting for an organ to become available. Many of them will die due to the shortage of organs available, because of the lack of donors registered. This is a major problem that the world is facing, and it is getting worse as the days go by. Primary care physicians should go through training to properly educate their patients on what it means to be an organ donor, classes should be given to high school students preparing them for when they become an adult, more resources should be available to give people the facts on what being an organ donor entails.
The shortage of organs available is saddening and scary to think about. “One hundred and fourteen thousand people are on the organ transplant waiting list in the United States” (American Transplant foundation, 2018). “Every ten minutes a new person is added to the list, and twenty people die every day waiting for an organ” (American Transplant Foundation, 2018). There is a supply and demand issue. Organs are in great demand, but there is a limited supply.
The question that most people should be asking is, why is there a lack of organ donors? Researchers from the University of Geneva completed a study that states “mistrust in the medical field and lack of understanding about brain death as major barriers to donation” (Wen, 2014). It is understandable for people to feel that way. Being an organ donor is not something that is discussed with kids in health or science classes. In fact, most people probably do not even really think about it until they are asked at the DMV when getting their license.
Resources need to be available for adults to receive adequate information regarding the process of becoming an organ donor. The first time an adult hears or thinks about becoming an organ donor should not be in line at the DMV when asked if they are an organ donor. Instead, primary care physicians should receive the training and knowledge needed to provide their patients with the information. People need to know how to register and then be provided with the facts of the transplant process. If a person wanted to be a live donor, they would need to know how their life would change or be affected from missing the organ they may donate. Also, the recovery time it would take them before being able to return to work, and any limitations on what they can do. Information on organ donations could be taught in high school Health and Biology to prepare teenagers with the facts to make an informed decision once becoming an adult. “One person is capable of donating eight organs providing eight people the lifesaving transplant they need” (Organdonor.gov, 2020)
Organs are not going to become available if people do not step up and become organ donors. These practices and policies are ways humanity can gain the knowledge they need to feel confident and secure enough to become organ donors. Providing the information to doctors, classes at the high school level and the resources needed can make a difference. All these things would give people the knowledge they need to make an educated decision and feel at ease becoming an organ donor.
References
American Transplant Foundation. (2018). Facts: Did you know? Retrieved from https://www.americantransplantfoundation.org/about-transplant/facts-and-myths/
Organ Donor | Organ Donor. Organdonor.gov. (2021). Retrieved May 5, 2021, https://www.organdonor.gov/ .
Wen, T. (2014). Why don’t more people want to donate their organs? Retrieved from
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/why-dont-people-want-to-donate-theirorgans/382297