ED Organ donation campaign

Around this time of every year, various campaigns to help the underprivileged are actively launched by civic, public and religious organizations, including the Community Chest of Korea and the Salvation Army.

Of them, a special street campaign attracted the eyes of people in downtown Seoul, Friday. Hundreds of members of the Korean Organ Donor Program and the families of organ donors were encouraging citizens to join them in a crusade that could save the lives of others.

However, organ donation here is not yet a popular practice and the number of donors is still small compared to advanced countries. In a society still deep-rooted in traditional Confucian beliefs, the idea of “damaging” a dead body is a concept that is still difficult to grasp.

Data show that only 2.5 percent, or 1.28 million, of the nation’s 50 million population, have promised to donate their organs when they die as of the end of June last year, compared to 32 percent in Britain, where people are asked whether they want to be donors when their driver’s licenses are issued. In particular, Spain, which has the highest organ donation rate, considers all citizens donors unless they opt out.

In fact, the government has tried to introduce this foreign aspect to the driver’s license system to no avail due to social disagreement. This means that a change in perspective is urgently needed to encourage organ donation along with a revision of related laws.

Of course, it is not that easy to change a negative perspective in a short period of time. But we can create circumstances favorable to organ donation through legal measures to honor organ donors who suffered unexpected brain death, with respect and imbue the donors’ living family members with a sense of pride in ways such as building commemorative parks.

The government also needs to reform the current organ donation registration system for terminal patients, who desperately long for potential donors, and introduce a formula that further supports the families of donors to include not only funeral and medical expenses but also counseling sessions and commemoration ceremonies, so that the family members can overcome their loss with dignity and respect.