Three people a day die whilst waiting for an organ transplant but despite this less than half of us are willing to donate.
These are the findings of our exclusive survey for The Sun to mark #OrganDonationWeek. There are currently 6,500 people waiting for a transplant but it was revealed that 55% don’t like the idea of things being taken out of their body.
But that’s not the only thing making people hesitant. 1 in 10 is under the illusion that no-one will need their organs. A further 1 in 10 claims that they cannot donate due to a conflict with their religion.
So what are the alternatives? One option may be to use animal organs. 40% of the 1,000 adults surveyed said they would be open to this option if it would save their life.
Another way organs can be donated is if a family member gives consent on your behalf in the event of your death. 25% think that they would agree to their relative’s organs being used even if they weren’t on a register. However many are unaware of their families wishes as they’ve not spoken about it.
Reason’s for this silence include a failure to realise the need to (14%), not getting round to it (17%) and not wanting to talk about death (21%). But the main reason was simply because it never came up in conversation (36%).
But given that 1,300 people die each year whilst waiting for organs or becoming too ill to have a transplant, the issue of organ donation may not be a topic of conversation we can continue to ignore!
