People have the choice to say yes or no. I know a lot of people who believe that, should an organ be needed by someone else, the doctors might not fight hard enough to save you in some situations. It sounds paranoid, but it is a valid worry, given human nature. China solves its shortage by using the organs of executed prisoners, not a direction we would like to go in.

Maybe we should make the default that doctors can use a cadaver's organs unless there is a specific preference not to. I don't think most people would have a problem with that.

perhaps they need to push it a bit more. i wouldnt want to give my organs becayse what singwel says may be true and they let you die if someone rich wants the organ and bribes the doctors, you never know.

Im australian and an organ donor. If i happen to die then im pretty sure i wont be needing my organs. The thought doesnt bother me at all, so long as its being used to save someone or help make their life easier. Its just common sense to me

no, what does the bibel say about this, god gave you the organs and you shud keep them yourself.

Perhaps we should identify why they refuse to donate, is it religious? moralistic? If they have a rational reason to decide against it, whether you think religion is rational or not (i personally don't), then you probably don't have much of an arguement against it. The only way to combat such things is to disillusion them, "your religion is foolish" or "you're dead, you have no morals when you're dead". We can only educate, we cannot force.

Education would probably be the best way. Early and often telling people the advantages of organ donation.

I wish I knew. I wonder if it would help for organ recipients to be more public about the benefits of organ donation. My favorite aunt had a kidney transplant 2 years ago.. she is middle-aged and has been ill for years and since she got her kidney the difference has been just incredible. No rejection problems, she can eat normal food now, and can go back to normal activities of living that she had to give up years ago, including going back to work. She'll have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of her life, but, as she was taking a huge cocktail of nastier drugs to keep her old kidneys functioning prior to that this is not a big sacrifice. It hasn't just prolonged her life but improved it immeasurably. I know she wonders about the donor - all we know is that it was a young person who died in an accident - and we are all so grateful to that family for deciding to donate. Perhaps also people's fears should be addressed about the conduct of hospitals in situations of organ donation.. I work in a hospital myself and I've never seen any sort of situation where a patient is encouraged to die in order to procure their organs. I've seen cases of brain death and the like and in my institution at least the family is given *plenty* of space to make the relevant decisions and we do everything we can to save people's lives. I think largely the "organ harvesting" legends are paranoid fantasy promoted by television shows and conspiracy mongers and it harms real, suffering people who desperately need donations.