Nanny State: Organ Donation

My family is aware of my wishes for organ donation: I am against it. I stand alone on the issue. For me, I do not believe life is designed to harvest body parts like an auto body shop. I recognize this is not necessarily everyone’s position. I also do not foist this opinion on others. It’s personal and I expect my wishes to be honored.

That is not good enough for the state of New Jersey. A bill passed the Assembly Health Committee yesterday. The bill is highly problematic.

New Jersey will force drivers to make a decision at renewal time to be an organ donor or not. Currently, as I recall, one can make that decision now, but after passage of this law, it will be mandatory.

But one, like myself, will not merely be able to decline donating his organs. No, lawmakers here will offer the following two options to drivers:

require a resident who has not registered as an organ donor, and who seeks a driver’s license or identification card or seeks renewal thereof, to either: (1) register as an organ donor through the Donate Life NJ Registry; or (2) acknowledge an understanding of the life-saving potential of organ and tissue donation, and an understanding of the consequences when an individual does not make a decision to become an organ donor and does not register or otherwise record a designated decision-maker.

Why do I have to acknowledge to the state the “life-saving potential of organ and tissue donation”? Why can I not make this personal decision without being forced by my government? What if I do not acknowledge the life-saving potential? What if I believe it is unnatural?

The law also demonstrates a problem with public education. This bill includes the following mandate:

3. (New section) a. Beginning with the 2008-2009 school year, each board of education that operates an educational program for students in grades 9 through 12 shall provide instruction on State policy which advocates that adults designate themselves as organ and tissue donors in the Donate Life NJ Registry established pursuant to section 7 of P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill). The instruction shall take place as part of the district’s implementation of the Core Curriculum Content Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education, and the comprehensive health and physical education curriculum framework shall provide school districts with sample activities that may be used to support implementation of the instructional requirement.

(1) The goals of the instruction shall be:

(a) to emphasize the benefits of organ and tissue donation to the health and well-being of society generally, and to individuals whose lives are saved by organ and tissue donations, so that students will be motivated to make an affirmative decision to register as a donor when they become adults;

(b) to fully address myths and misunderstandings regarding organ and tissue donation;

(c) to explain the options available to adults, including the option of designating a decision-maker to make the donation decision on one’s behalf; and

(d) to instill an understanding of the consequences when an individual does not make a decision to become an organ donor and does not register or otherwise record a designated decision-maker;

(2) The instruction shall inform students that beginning five years from the date of enactment of P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill), the Motor Vehicle Commission will not issue or renew a New Jersey driver’s license or personal identification card unless a prospective or renewing licensee or card holder makes an acknowledgement regarding the donor decision pursuant to section 8 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

b. The Commissioner of Education shall also make the instructional materials available to private schools educating students in grades 9 through 12, or any combination thereof. Such schools are encouraged to use the instructional materials at the school; however, nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require such schools to use the materials.

c. All instructional materials and content, and modifications made thereto, shall be designed in collaboration with the organ procurement organizations designated pursuant to 42 U.S.C. s.1320b-8 to serve in the State of New Jersey.

There’s language about higher education too. So schools will need to take more instructional time away from the three Rs to address mandates.

What does organ donation have to do with operating a motor vehicle?

I just shake my head at the unreal lengths lawmakers go to rule our lives.

Also blogged on this date . . .

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4 Responses to “Nanny State: Organ Donation”

  1. By Dave Undis on Mar 5, 2008

    If people in New Jersey are going to opt out of donating their organs when they die, they should also opt out of receiving an organ should they ever need one to live.

    Our transplant system lets people take without giving. It’s no wonder there’s such a large organ shortage.

    There is a simple way to put a big dent in that shortage – allocate donated organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die.

    Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at http://www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. There is no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any pre-existing medical condition.

  2. By Bob on Mar 5, 2008

    I certainly do not pretend to know all the ins-and-outs of the organ donor system, but isn’t it quite possible that someone makes arrangements to donate his organs through one organization and not through another? And what if such a person made such arrangements say with LifeSharers, but didn’t want to declare that to the state of NJ, let alone the DMV?

    I stand by my description of this bill as problematic.

  3. By Bull Moose on Mar 6, 2008

    I don’t share your opinion of organ donation, but that bill is outrageous.
    Actually, in the face of the state of abortion laws it’s absurd. Where are the “my body, my choice” people who protest when a young woman having to wait 24 hours or read a pamphlet before aborting her baby when this kind of “sanctity of the body” is at stake?

  4. By Bob on Mar 6, 2008

    Good point, BM.

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