Why do donors tick the opt-out box for eyes?

s.b.f —

Of the hundreds of thousands of organ donors who may have had their wishes wrongly recorded, many chose not to donate their eyes. Why are some people so reluctant to give them up in death?

While many of Britain's 17 million registered body part donors give consent for all their organs and tissues to be used for transplant after their death, more than 10% have chosen to with-hold consent for certain parts - by far the most common being eyes.

Historically, they have held cultural and spiritual significance. Referred to as "windows to the soul" by Roman philosopher Cicero, the eye is also often regarded as symbolising knowledge. In Hinduism and Buddhism, the third eye is a symbol of enlightenment.

Of the eight body parts one can choose from - kidneys, heart, liver, small bowel, eyes, lungs, pancreas and tissue (skin, bone and heart valves) - eyes are the only explicitly external part. And it's been noted that people are often more squeamish about donating their eyes than other body parts.

But eye experts say eye donation does not affect the appearance of the donor. The cornea is the part that is used and this is just the thin, clear tissue covering the front of the eye.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8615320.stm

Don't understand what is so sqeamish about giving the eyes up after you can't see anyway.

Any of you registered to give up any body parts after you die?

Forum

s.b.f — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 - 01:44

I haven't registered and my excuse is that I know my parents would be upset with me if I did.

But I don't want to be a donor. And I'm not sure why. I think I am being selfish..because I'm not squeamish about being amputated or anything either. Or have my eyes taken out after death. But I would rather I was buried underground all intact. I would want an autopsy though, if I had this really interesting disease.

TPOS — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 - 18:04

If couldn't feel the pain of being amputated/dissected etc then I wouldn't care but since I will be able to, I would never want to. :|

You have to carry a card to say you do not want to be a donor, don't you? And if you don't they automatically assume that you're alright with it? right?

TPOS — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 - 18:16

[quote=bilan]i thought being a donor wasnt allowed in islam????
and that the body should be in the state that Allah (swt) had given it to us?????[/quote]
There can be some exceptions although yes that is what is preferred.

Bilan — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 - 18:33

so its just a preference and not rule???

cos how how does that work??? they chop you up some and when it comes to you being buried???? and what if they did remove ur eyes, in the grave you would be blind???

confused..... :?

TPOS — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 - 16:27

[quote=You]How are you going to sign the form when you are dead?

As for being a donor - IMO it is fully allowed and the arguments against it are less than spectacular.[/quote]
Are you saying that we having to 'go back with the body as it was given' is a lame excuse?

You — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 - 16:50

by the time those of us who lead full enough lives die, the issue of organ donation should be long solved/deprecated via cloning.

A cloned organ has many favourable attributes inclusind being of the same flesh and blood so theoretically the body should not reject the organ and so should not need to be under constant medication to defeat the immune system.

But until then, organ donation saves lives.

You — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 - 16:57

Stop being a Jehovah's witness!

there is a hadith along the lines of "for every illness created (except death?) there is a cure" and I think it also mentions that we should seek these cures.

Saving lives is not playing God. Taking them may be, but even there there are the occasions where that has been allowed by God.

You — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 - 17:09

from what I have been told, Jehovah's witnesses (the "witnesses" bit is important as Jehovah means God) are dead set against any forms of medical intervention as they see it all as going against God's will.

We don't see it like that as we have ahadith that say the opposite.

Not all diseases are deadly. that does not mean they should not be cured. not all cures are perfect as it is generally only prevention that totally removes the manifestations of an illness and not a cure, which does a best case stitching up job to try and rectify the problems.

You — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 - 17:56

I didn't mean literally a Jehovah's witness, but I guess I should take more care with my words - loose words can cause a lot of damage and I know how Muslims comparing other Muslims to various christian factions has annoyed me before.

You're getting annoying again, that means your flu's nearly gone... :s

I don't think I am happy with having my organs scooped out after death either - hence me putting my hopes in cloning. Nothing to be ashamed of being uncomfortable with it, just the ideology that considers it wrong I think it is wrong.

Seraphim — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 - 19:03

[quote=ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcE][quote=You]How are you going to sign the form when you are dead?

As for being a donor - IMO it is fully allowed and the arguments against it are less than spectacular.[/quote]
Are you saying that we having to 'go back with the body as it was given' is a lame excuse?[/quote]

yeah man... what if you lost like an arm or leg earlier on in life and it had to be amputated. Now you aint going back to God the way you came... coz now you got a wooden leg innit.

You — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 - 19:06

When the kuffar at the time of the prophet ﷺ were told about life after death, they had a similar question about how can God reanimate what is dead and decayed etc... the physical limitations of this world do not apply there and if He (swt) can create us from nothing, He (swt) can also bring us back to life however He (swt) wills

Seraphim — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 - 19:14

[quote=You]When the kuffar at the time of the prophet ﷺ were told about life after death, they had a similar question about how can God reanimate what is dead and decayed etc... the physical limitations of this world do not apply there and if He (swt) can create us from nothing, He (swt) can also bring us back to life however He (swt) wills[/quote]

Yes, luminous beings are we. Not this crude matter. 😃

TPOS — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 - 20:06

[quote=Seraphim][quote=ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcE][quote=You]How are you going to sign the form when you are dead?

As for being a donor - IMO it is fully allowed and the arguments against it are less than spectacular.[/quote]
Are you saying that we having to 'go back with the body as it was given' is a lame excuse?[/quote]

yeah man... what if you lost like an arm or leg earlier on in life and it had to be amputated. Now you aint going back to God the way you came... coz now you got a wooden leg innit.[/quote]
Ok, yeah, it being put into perspective like that makes more sense than just You saying its better to find a cure etc etc. But then why is that said :/ - the whole 'a person's body should be brought back as it was" thing? :S

Sephy (not verified) — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 - 20:30

[quote=Ocean]One is accident, and the other is intentional. there's a difference there too[/quote]

Is there? In the end isnt it the same thing? You lose a piece of yourself. And as You pointed out, God brought us into this world how he willed and he can do the same when we are ressurected.

TPOS — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 - 20:35

[quote=Sephy] God brought us into this world how he willed and he can do the same when we are ressurected.[/quote]
[quote=ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcE] But then why is that said :/ - the whole 'a person's body should be brought back as it was" thing? :S[/quote]

LookingToSee — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 - 07:04

[quote=You]How are you going to sign the form when you are dead?

As for being a donor - IMO it is fully allowed and the arguments against it are less than spectacular.[/quote]

i added the last word so that people dont start having a go at me saying we can donate when alive.
i cant think of any other way, there's donating organs when you're alive.
and..oh..i guess... "consenting to donating organs when you die" urgh...loooonnngg...

@Ocean, why dont you want to take part in the "game of compassion"?
@Sully, why arent you into donating?

@the two above, are talking about donating when alive? or dead? or both?

You — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 - 14:02

Not everything is donatable when alive (most organs yuo have are there for a reason
) - mostly its the idea that they take the parts after death.

I suspect that Sully if very pro-donation.

I like the idea even though I will probably stay clear of it - seems very icky.