Minimizing the Organ Waiting List Are you considered a potential organ donor on your state I.D.? Its easy and free if you were to become a registered donor. You would have the potential of saving lives of those who are in need of an organ transplant. In the essay “Death’s Waiting List” the writer Sally Satel mentions the issue with organ donations and how there is not enough for each person who is in need to receive an organ transplant, therefore the government should prohibit donors to be compensated for their part of donating organs. Not everyone can be convinced into making the decision of organ donations for themselves or a loved one, but what if the government were to pay for your part of donating and provide help financially for your family? If people were given the option, the outcome will decrease the list of people waiting for a transplant and it can raise more potential organ donors who will be supported by the government. Organ donors are able to make a decision to saving a life while also improving their own with the advantage of the government’s support by being compensated for their organs.

The major problem with organ donations are that there isn’t enough organs offered to ones who are in need. When Satel had researched how many Americans are waiting for an organ match, it was estimated to about 92,000 and it would range to 5-8 years (in big cities) in waiting to be gifted with one. Throughout the time, more people are being added to the list and its a sad thing that not everyone gets the chance to live when they get a transplant, since they say that “someone on the organ list dies every 90 minutes” (142). The people that registered themselves as organ donors are generous to give them away, however not all organs are able to used because they don’t qualify as healthy enough to be transplanted. This issue of many people dying should be decreasing for it can save lives if we have more possible donors get tested if they are able to donate. The government has to really adapt to ways that can prevent less deaths and to have more supply of organs. Satel suggests that preventing less people from dying for organ transplant is by having the government financially encouraging people to sign up for organ donations. It can allow people to exchange their organs for something that would seem valuable to them. Such as being covered for lifetime insurance, tax breaks, and also such as rewarding their children with college scholarships (142). The reason why I chose to agree with this is because I see it as a fair trade for the patient and the one who will give an organ. They both are receiving something that gives them a chance to having a better future for themselves and their families. A way of increasing more potential organ donors would be for our nation to adapt to a policy that Europe uses; in which the person is once deceased, they are automatically considered potential organ donors. If they were to chose not to be, they are able to sign something to disqualify them. This type of practice, called the “presumed consent”, can benefit by it giving better options in to finding out what type of organs can be useful for doctors to take for transplant. These ideas are considered possible fixtures to organ donations. Hopefully, this is used sooner than later for it can potentially start eliminating the list of patients in need of organ transplant. Another possibility that is would be useful to organ donors would be having a planned pilot program. This program would provide a complete payment of lifetime insurance in exchange to if