here, have my belly button. organ donation.

So a belly button’s not exactly an organ, but you can have it anyway. I’m officially a registered organ donor in the state of California. I’m a little unclear on the reach of the registry: if I die in state other than California does the donor registry still apply?

Currently in the United States one must opt in to become an organ donor. Usually this is done by checking a box when you get or renew your license. You can also go to organdonor.gov for information on organ donating. Almost all 50 states have state donor registries. This page lists links to state registries.

I believe very strongly in organ donation and think that the United States should adopt an opt-out policy, where at birth every person is registered as a donor with the option to remove their name from the registry at any time. I understand that there are religious reasons for opting out of organ donation. I also kind of understand the "It just doesn’t feel right" reaction, although I wish this were less prevelant. I guess it is an objection to post-mortem fiddling with one’s body. Organ removal does not leave much outward scarring and certainly would not inhibit an open casket funeral. I hope that this fear can be put to rest if we educate ourselves on the benefits and procedures behind organ donation.

"It doesn’t feel right" is an uncesseary obstacle to directly affecting the lives of others. As of March 2009 over one hundred thousand people are waiting for organs.

Specific need for minority donors: Certain diseases like lung cancer and diabetes disproportionately affect certain ethnicities. According to the US. Department of Health, transplants are more successful when organs match race and enthicity. One can also choose full body donation. This usually means you donate your body to a medical facility. Here is a short news article on how and why to donate to science.

It took me less than 5 minutes to register online.