To the editor
By:
The generosity of live organ donors like Carl Lessing is remarkable.
Most Americans won’t even agree to donate their organs after they die. They bury or cremate their organs instead of sharing the gift of life.
As a result, over 6,000 of their neighbors die every year waiting for organ transplants.
The solution to the organ shortage is simple if you don’t agree to donate your organs when you die, then you go to the back of the waiting list if you ever need an organ to live.
Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to sign donor cards. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer.
About 70 percent of the organs transplanted in the United States go to people who haven’t agreed to donate their own organs when they die.
People who are too lazy or too selfish to register as organ donors shouldn’t be eligible for transplants as long as there is a shortage of organs.
Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die.
They do this through a form of directed donation that is legal in all 50 states and under federal law. Anyone can join for free at www.lifesharers.com.
LifeSharers has 2,847 members, including 65 members in New Jersey.
Executive Director, LifeSharers
Nashville, Tenn.

