Organ Donor Persuasive

Have a Heart and Give (at least) a Heart Organ donation is such a simple and selfless action one takes to save the lives of others. The pros of declaring oneself as a donor far outweigh the cons, for nearly 90% of Americans claim to support donation. Only 30%, however, know how to or actually become donors, according to Donate Life America; so, what steers people away? Many avoid declaring themselves as organ donors because there are many misconceptions to the process of organ donation. Some believe that a hospital staff will avoid focusing on saving a person’s life if he or she has agreed to become an organ donor, including the possibility that doctors may sign the death certificate before an organ donor is truly dead. Others fear that organ or tissue donors lose the option of having open-casket funerals. Many claim that the decision cannot be made until they are at least eighteen years old, or that organ recipients wouldn’t want organs from elderly or those with health conditions. Others believe that wealth or fame allow some people to receive organs before others who have been on the transplant waiting list longer (“Busting”). Although these situations are far from the truth, they prevent a large portion of people from declaring themselves as organ donors. As a result, there is an average of eighteen people dying every day while waiting for transplants that cannot take place due to organ donation shortage (“Understanding donation”). Understanding and educating oneself and others about organ donation is the first step in saving the lives of thousands. Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit medical care, research, and education organization governed by a thirty-three-member Board of Trustees in Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, has dealt with these concerns first-hand. In order to help those who are unsure about the decision, the staff provides truths that will make people feel comfortable about the life-changing action of becoming an organ donor. Mayo

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