nnNicolette Jett COMM 2600 Persuasive Speech Outline Topic: Organ Donation General Purpose: To persuade Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience to become organ donors. Thesis: The shortage of organ donations in the U.S. is a factual problem that exists today, however there are many ways you can help and your action may even help save a life. Introduction I. According to The Donate Life, New York Organ Donation Network’s website, in 2008 the total number of patients who passed away while waiting for organ donations in the U.S. was 6,229. II. Surprisingly, organ donation is not something that everyone does. The purpose of this speech today is to tell everyone in the room how to take action and become an organ donor. III. Some of you may know someone who has received an organ donation or have been put on the waiting list to receive. Organ donation ranges from body organs, such as the liver, heart, pancreas, etc. Other donations also include skin, corneas, tendons, bones, and even veins, called tissue donations. There is a way to donate these crucial body parts to those who need them. IV. I, myself, have not received an organ transplant. I have had friends who have had tendon transplants due to sport injuries.

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The shortage of organ donations in the U.S. is a factual problem that exists today, however there are many ways you can help and your action may help save a life.

Body I. There is a factual and relevant problem of organ donation shortages in the U.S. today. Long waiting lists for organs can sometimes lead to fatal outcomes. A. As stated in a pamphlet called A Legacy For Life -­‐ Becoming an Organ or Tissue Donor by the American Bar Association, approximately 21,000 organ transplants occur each year. Unfortunately, 21,000 transplants do not cover everyone waiting. 1. About 84,000 men, women, and children in the U.S. are all on a list to receive organ transplants, according to organtransplants.org, a website sponsored by Collation on Donation and the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation. 2. Many of the patients who are a waiting list are in end-­‐stage organ failure. Also, they have been evaluated by a transplant physician at hospitals where organ transplants are performed and where they feel comfortable. 3. With every problem, there always is a counter-­‐argument to oppose the side someone chooses.