A surge in organ donor registrations being revoked across the US and even in France is raising serious concerns about public trust in the organ donation system, The Associated Press reports.
The spike follows reports of a near-death organ retrieval incident in Kentucky in 2021, where a man allegedly woke up on the way to surgery after being declared dead.
While the details remain murky, the incident has prompted investigations by the federal agency regulating the transplant system and the Kentucky Attorney General’s office.
Public Confidence Shaken
The Donate Life America organization has witnessed a tenfold increase in people removing themselves from the national donor registry in the week following the media coverage of the allegations. Similar trends are being observed in individual state registries, and even in France, where a mandatory organ donation system has seen a dramatic spike in people opting out.
“Organ donation is based on public trust,” said Dorrie Dils, president of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs). “When eroded, it takes years to regain.”
Questioning the Process
The allegations have raised questions about the process of determining death, particularly in cases of brain death, which is the most common type of organ donation.
“All doctors are supposed to be doing the right tests and doing them well,” said Dr. Daniel Sulmasy, a Georgetown University bioethicist.
What’s Supposed to Happen
The organ donation process is tightly regulated, with multiple checks and balances in place to ensure the safety and integrity of the system.
When a person is declared brain dead, their care is transferred to the organ procurement organization, which searches for potential recipients and schedules retrieval surgery.
However, the incident in Kentucky has stressed the potential for errors in the system. Dr. Ginny Bumgardner, an Ohio State University transplant surgeon, emphasized that any concerns or doubts should be immediately addressed.
Calls for Transparency and Reform
Experts are calling for transparency and swift action from authorities investigating the Kentucky case.
Dr. Sulmasy suggests stricter criteria for determining brain death, potentially including additional testing requirements. This, he believes, could help restore public confidence and encourage people to remain registered organ donors.
