A matter of life or death: organ donation in the Netherlands

Quite recently the shortage of organ donors was a hot issue on television and in newspaper in the Netherlands. Now, the Dutch government is struggling with the problem of donor registration. What is the problem and what do Saxion students say about this matter?

While there are long waiting lists of people who urgently need new organs, there are not enough people who have registered as donors. On average, a patient who needs a donated organ has to wait for four years before he or she gets it. Within that waiting time, other severe patients may have died. This serious problem brings up the question if all citizens should be automatically registered as donors. But in October last year, a proposal of this nature was rejected by the lower house of the Dutch parliament.

A few Dutch students do not think the automatic donor registration system should be rejected. Tobias Fikkert has registered as a donor. He finds it can help people’s lives. He says, “It is a good thing that more people should donate their organs. People should think about this. They should be automatically registered as donors.” He finds there is no need for him to be afraid of being a donor. “I won’t need my organs when I am dead.”

Tom Elfrink thinks the automatic donor registration system should have been approved by the Dutch parliament. “It is a good solution. I would be a donor, too, but now I am not as I am not eighteen years old yet.” He supports his relatives if they want to be donors. Organ donation is a matter of life or death for a lot of people. “Signing up as a donor is something you should do.”

Tahee (she did not state her surname) finds that it is necessary to be a donor. It is a social matter that can help people. She says, “It is better to be clear about it if you do not want to be a donor.” She will advise her friends and relatives to register, though. She jokingly says, “I will push them.”

Related news: http://www.expatica.com/nl/news/local_news/Dutch-MPs-reject-automatic-organ-donation_46601.html

This article was published on Sax Magazine, February 2009

http://www.sax.nu/Portals/5/docs/sax06_febr09_web.pdf