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May 6, 2008

Girlfriend Upset at Boyfriend's Anti-Organ Donor Stand

Organ_donorThe following discussion is from an advice column in the Washington Post.  See Carolyn Hax, Organ Donation Quandary, Washington Post, May 5, 2008:

Just found out my boyfriend, whom I am thinking of a future with, is not an organ donor. He doesn't have any religious beliefs to speak of but said he would like to be buried whole.

I lost my lifelong best friend as she waited for an organ donation that never came. Do I have the right to broach such an intensely personal decision with my boyfriend? * * *

This isn't a deal-breaker for me, I don't think. But it is something I want to discuss with him.

[Answer]  Absolutely you can raise this issue, and I hope you do. It is intensely personal, and you can start by acknowledging that -- but it's also a public health issue. Not to mention, you're close to the point of pondering marriage, so personal questions aren't just permissible, they're necessary.  * * *

Does he think it's morally consistent to live knowing that the medical safety net of donated organs is there for him, and that he's willing to avail himself of it, but not contribute to it himself?

May 6, 2008 in Death Event Planning | Permalink

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