by Zachary Hendrickson

Posted on April 22, 2013

Public opinion on organ donation policy is shifting throughout Canada. In a personally charged article, Emile Therien describes his families personal interactions with organ donation. At the age of 32, his daughter, Sarah Beth, died of cardiac arrest. Her death and subsequent gift of life were landmarks in Canadian organ donation policy. For the first time, cardiac death was used to determine an individual’s ability to be a donor, not brain death. The problem with the old policy was that brain death (when the brain shows no signs of life) only occurs in only 1.5% of all in-hospital deaths. 30,000 people die in hospitals every year in Ontario. Meaning that 98.5% of possible organ donations were dismissed – a total of 29,550 potential donors prevented from saving lives.

It is important to note that individuals are only eligible for DCD if they had made previous arrangements to donate their organs and if they would not be able to survive without the significant aid of medical equipment, such as respirators. However, as Dr. Sonny Dhanani, Chief Medical Officer of Donation for Trillium Gift of Life Network says, “It is absolutely critical that in every single situation where donation may be possible, family members are offered the opportunity to honour the wishes of their loved one.”

Ontario currently leads in donation after cardiac death, with DCD accounting for 23% of all donors. Quebec and British Columbia have also adopted medical guidelines for DCD, a few cases have happened in Alberta and Nova Scotia, and Manitoba is currently pursuing a DCD policy.  All signs point to a shift in public opinion towards accepting DCD as a valid path for organ donation.

“Why should people who had made arrangements to donate their organs be prevented from doing so just because the circumstances of their deaths dictate that their hearts will stop before their brains?” Therien asks. Indeed, public support for organ donation in Canada is strong with over 95% in approval. Yet only 50-60% of people are willing to donate. Among that slim majority, very few actually have the full story behind organ donation policy. Therien urges all Canadians to have a conversation with their family members about organ donation and to understand that it isn’t enough for someone to just sign their driver’s license. As Therien says, “That donation could save someone’s life.”

(http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/04/22/organ-donation-for-monday/ by Emile Therien)