When I first got my driver’s license in 2022, my best friend warned me about becoming an organ donor. She told me doctors might not try as hard to save my life, or they could harvest my organs for the sake of another patient even if my life was still viable.
I told her she was crazy and fearful. In my stubbornness, I even judged people without “organ donor” on their licenses, believing they were selfish — as if it were some kind of human red flag.
Then, I did some research and realized my judgment was based on ignorance. I have now completely flipped my view.
If you’re reading this, do not be an organ donor.
This past July, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a press release identifying a federally funded organ procurement organization — Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates, now called Network for Hope — that serves Kentucky, southwest Ohio and parts of West Virginia. The press release announced an effort to reform the organ transplant system after finding negligent treatment of vulnerable patients.
In 2021, a patient hospitalized after a drug overdose was being prepared for organ donation. As preparations continued, medical records documented signs of neurological improvement. Staff saw the patient opening his eyes, tracking movement and responding to pain.
According to the federal review, the patient was wheeled into the operating room showing signs of awareness, and at one point shook his head “no” as tears rolled down his face.
Hospital staff became uncomfortable with continuing the organ removal process, and a physician ultimately refused to proceed with the surgery. It was halted, and the patient was returned to the ICU, where he was later discharged alive.
Another troubling finding questioned whether some patients were dead when organ recovery began. Investigators found at least 28 patients had no documented cardiac time of death, yet donation attempts were initiated. Unless a patient is declared brain dead, a documented cardiac time of death is required before organ recovery can begin. Some of these patients, whose harvesting attempts were stopped or failed, were later discharged.
Investigators examined 351 incidents from 2021 through the end of 2024 handled by Network for Hope. They found 103 cases containing concerning features, including 73 patients who showed neurological signs, which should have prompted reconsideration of organ recovery.
While these cases involve an organ procurement organization out of Florida, they reflect a federally funded system that has largely gone unanalyzed and uncriticized. We should be able to trust both the government and doctors with our lives. When transparency breaks down, trust erodes. It should change how people think about organ donation.
Let me be clear: I am not promoting selfishness. I am promoting self-preservation. You should be able to trust doctors with your life, but cases like these make trust very difficult to give.
If I am truly and completely dead, I would be thrilled for my organs to give someone new life. But even if my license does not list me as an organ donor, my organs can still be used if I prepare properly.
In Florida, you can state your intention to donate organs in a living will. You can also designate a health care surrogate to make that decision if you are unable. I prefer the second option, because it removes power from the government and doctors who may be too busy to carefully verify organ procurement is the best option.
Before you check the organ donor box when you get your license, take the time to understand how the system works. Organ donation can save lives, but your own life deserves the highest level of protection first. Making an informed decision about how and when your organs are donated is not selfish — it’s responsible.
Contact Alannah Peters @apeters@alligator.org. Follow her on X @alannahjp777.
Alannah Peters is a junior majoring in journalism and minoring in public relations. In her spare time, she can be found trying new coffee shops with friends, traveling the U.S. or going on hot girl walks at Lake Alice.
