I needed to do something more.
I removed myself from the Organ Donor registry. I’ve been registered since I was 16 and never really thought I’d remove myself from the list. Ironically the Florida website is called Donate Life Florida.
Here’s what I included in the “why” message:
“I’m removing my name from state organ‑donor lists to protest laws that forced life support on Adriana Smith after she was declared brain‑dead. Forced birth is anti‑life. I refuse to let my body become a bargaining chip for lawmakers who deny basic consent. Until those laws change, I will not participate in a system that strips individuals of control over their own bodies.”
Here’s a checklist if you’d like to do it too:
- State‑registry withdrawal form submitted (certified mail or online)
- DMV license/ID updated and old card destroyed
- Advance directive amended and copies distributed
- Follow‑up calls to registry & DMV to confirm removal
If enough people remove themselves from state registries we might get some traction. If they cannot respect us in life, then they should not have access to us in death. I don’t think this is nearly enough, but it’s very visible and could make a big impact.
Comments
Thank you for doing this. Simple but powerful way to make a statement against an unjust system.
People removing themselves from organ donor lists en mass to protest this is going to result in innocent people dying. You’re not going to “gain traction” by protesting an organization that had NOTHING to do with what was done to Adriana Smith. The brutalization of her corpse was reprehensible, and the people responsible for it are rightwing politicians who passed laws that pressured her hospital to keep her body attached to life support. The organ donor registry is entirely unrelated. In fact, the organ donor registry is predicated on bodily autonomy and consent.
Was she kept alive because she was an organ donor? I thought it was Georgia’s heart beat bill.
While I logically know that her case had nothing to do with being an organ donor, I understand. I also dont want a hospital to profit from my organs when I die, although I also know it could save somebody else’s life. I’m torn personally but I support your decision.
I appreciate the anger and frustration. This kind of protest is petty. As an organ donor someone consents to give the gift of life. Taking back that consent doesn’t do anything except deny the possibility of giving someone more time on this earth.
This is just illogical,
Performative activism at its worst.
I hope you never suffer from an illness that causes organ failure. Or any of your loved ones. But if you did, you might learn how seriously the medical providers involved in the transplant system take bodily autonomy and how completely unrelated it is to what happened to Adriana Smith. I learned about this horrible situation from transplant professionals who were reacting with outrage.
Absolutely will not. If, when I die, my organs can save someone else – that takes priority over all for me. Just the chance that my body may be the reason someone else can live gives me some peace. I’m not religions, I don’t believe in an afterlife, I simply believe in helping others. I hate what happened to Adriana, and things need to change! – but I will not continue that cycle of hurt and malice.
She was kept alive as an incubator because the hospital is a lying disgusting forced birth organization. The state AG said they were misapplying the law.
Organ donation is separate and not related to this situation. I’ve opted out of being a donor for other reasons (they don’t give pain meds when harvesting organs) but I don’t think conflating these two issues makes sense from an activism pov.
I want to offer a little background information since I have it.
Organ donation in the US is managed by UNOS, the united network for organ sharing. The country is then divided up into regions, each assigned to an OPO, an organ procurement organization. These OPOs are private entities like Donate Life that OP mentions.
The OPO does the work of coordinating with the family of a potential donor, arranging and sometimes performing the multitude of various tests and labs that are required, arranging for transport and preservation of any donated organs and tissues.
US law does not allow the sale of organs, so the OPO cannot directly sell a liver or heart or kidney. They can profit from non-organ tissues like tendons and skin and corneas.
None of this is connected to or orchestrated by lawmakers, state or federal. UNOS and the OPOs are federally regulated, and must adhere to applicable laws, but are not governmental agencies.
Please make sure that you discuss your wishes and those of your loved ones often and in-depth. The solace of knowing that you are making the choice your loved one already requested is an underrated gift. Talk about what to do if you are brain dead, or your heart stops, or you have dementia, and keep having those conversations as you age and your health and family change.
One of my best friends fathers died while he was waiting for a liver transplant. Removing from donor registration doesn’t do much other than remove resources needed for helping sick people.
I’m not going to do this. Organ donation is a scientific miracle & if I can give someone else’s family a little more time, I will gladly do so. There is no reason for my body to be wasted.
This has absolutely nothing to do with abortion rights or Adriana Smith.
Being an organ donor had nothing to do with this case. Combining these two things that aren’t related doesn’t achieve anything
If your protest isn’t hurting, disrupting, or somehow annoying the people in power, then it’s just symbolic. The only people you’re hurting with this protest would be innocent, sick, and injured people who are at their absolute lowest moment in life. They’re the ones who need our help the most.
I’m 100% against this protest. I mean you can do it and all… but I will not be participating, sharing this idea with others, or encouraging it. If I die an early death, I hope my organs can help as many people as possible.