Choosing to become an organ donor is a very personal ethical question. In fact, there is a way to choose in life, in full possession of one’s faculties, to consent to the removal and donation of organs. Here’s how you can choose to become a donor and what is the path to follow.
Organ donation is a free and anonymous act that allows you to effectively help patients afflicted with serious pathologies.
But it is above all a personal choice , to be made in full awareness .
The removal of organs for donation takes place only in conditions of death. Considering the impossibility of asking for the donor’s consent when the removal is possible,the law in Italy in the last 20 years has taken steps to enable adult citizens to make this choice explicit while alive .
Let’s see together what the law says, how to choose to become a donor and what information to know.
Organ transplant and donation
Transplantation is a surgery that consists of replacing an organ or tissue that no longer performs normal functions, that is, as in a healthy person.
Transplantation is a complex life-saving procedure that aims to restore the proper functioning of vital organs , such as the heart, liver, lungs and intestines. [DSV3] [LDL4] Kidneys and pancreas can also be transplanted to improve the quality of life of patients on continuous therapy (such as dialysis).
A transplant can also involve non-vital organs (e.g. the cornea), portions of organs (e.g., portions of the liver, pancreas, lung), tissues, or cells that cannot be artificially reproduced. In some cases the donation can also be made in life .
Organ donation: the legislative framework in Italy
Although the number of transplants performed in Italy has grown significantly in recent years in Italy , thanks to the generosity of donors, the waiting lists are always long and difficult to dispose of. The data as of 31 December 2017 speak of 8,743 patients waiting for a life-saving transplant [1].
This is a very delicate subject, which must be addressed with the right awareness. Precisely for this reason, the legislation on the subject seeks to guarantee maximum transparency and to safeguard donors . At the same time, there is an attempt to simplify this very important personal choice by making it increasingly clear, decisive and free from possible misunderstandings.
In fact, all citizens are given the opportunity , by virtue of law no. 91/99 of April 1, 1999, to express their will on organ donation through explicit consent or dissent .
Today, those who authorize the removal of their organs can have their prior consent reported on the new electronic identity card , a document kept in the municipal archives and always available.
In any case, you can decide to change your choice regarding organ donation at any time, even several times.
In the absence of this explicit manifestation of will, the law provides that family members (spouse, cohabitant more-uxorio, children, parents) can decide at the time of ascertaining the death and the possibility of removal.
The Italian rules on organ donation are among the most guaranteed: the law of 29 December 1993 [6] established that the declaration of death must be made by a different team from the one that establishes the feasibility of removal and transplantation.
How to become an organ donor in Italy
In order to express your consent (or official dissent) to the donation of your organs and tissues, you must first be of age.
After the age of 18, you can declare your availability in different ways [2]:
- Signing the form made out to the Ministry of Health available online or at your local ASL [3];
- Expressing your choice when issuing or renewing the identity card at the registry office of your municipality. The declaration of your choice will be shown on the identity card itself;
- By filling in the blue card of the Ministry of Health [4]. You must keep this card among your personal documents;
- By filling in a holograph (i.e. handwritten) deed on the model of the one made available by the Italian Association for the donation of organs, tissues and cells (AIDO); In the absence of a model, it is possible to write your will on a white sheet, by hand, inserting the date and signature; also in this case the declaration must be kept among your personal documents.
How many organ donors are there in Italy?
The Transplant Information System (SIT) [5] gives the possibility to know how many people in Italy have expressed their will in favor of organ donation .
Since 2002, the SIT has recorded almost 6 million declarations of will . Organ donors in Italy were over 47,000 while more than 20,000 people donated tissues.
A life choice to be made immediately
The donation of organs , as well as the donation of blood , is a personal choice but there is no doubt that it constitutes an act of great generosity. It is a decision that you can make right away and that can affect the future of other people near or far.
Like many decisions about what you prefer not to think about, here too we tend to procrastinate. However, thinking with responsibility and maturity about what could be tomorrow is a way to continue expressing your will, just like investing in your child’s future or saving money so that there can be a more peaceful future for children. your loved ones.
