About Organ Donation
Organ donation is the process of surgically removing an organ or tissue from one person (the organ donor) and placing it into another person (the recipient). Transplantation is necessary when the recipient’s organ has failed or has been damaged by disease or injury. Organ transplantation is one of the great advances in modern medicine. Unfortunately, the need for organ donors is much greater than the number of people who actually designate themselves as organ donors.
According to organdonor.gov, up to 8 lives can be saved by 1 organ donor. In addition, tissue donation can dramatically enhance the quality of life for many individuals. Organdonor.gov estimates that more than 28,000 transplants were made possible last year through organ donors and that another 1,000,000 people received cornea transplants and other tissue transplants that helped them recover from trauma, bone damage, spinal injuries, burns, hearing impairment and vision loss. However, there are thousands of people who still die every year waiting for organ donations that never come.
The legal right for an individual to choose organ donation is governed by the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act. It is recommended that any person wishing to donate their organs register as a donor in advance to eliminate any possible confusion or delay at the time of death (see below for details on organ donor registry through One Legacy). The choice to be an organ donor should also be included in an advance directive.
About Whole Body Donation
Whole body donations are used for medical research and education. These donations can be made to medical schools or private organizations that distribute the bodies to institutions to be used in their research or for teaching purposes. Most organizations will return the body after the research has been completed and will cover the cost of cremation or burial of the body.
Most organizations do not disclose to the family the type of research that was conducted on the body or how the body was of benefit to the advancement of medicine and/or science. However, Life Legacy, a non-profit, whole body donation organization who sends a summary packet outlining the benefits of the loved one's gift to the family after the research has been completed. Similarly, Science Care, a for-profit company sends the family a follow-up letter one month after donation, outlining the medical research and education projects their loved one's participated in and the unique benefits healthcare.
If knowing how your body will be used in advance of your death is important to you, you may want to consider the Body Farm, a forensic anthropology research center at the University of Tennessee. Research conducted at the Body Farm involves the study of natural decomposition. This type of research is aimed at determining the age, sex, ancestry, and stature of a deceased individual as well as determining the time since death and the manner of death. The Body Farm also retains all skeletal remains for inclusion in their Bass Donated Skeletal Collection. This type of research directly benefits law enforcement.
If this option is appealing to you, we have included information about the University of Tennessee's Forensic Anthropology Center (UTFAC) Body Farm in our comparison table. UTFAC is a leader in forensic anthropology and was the first lab of its type to be established in the United States in 1982.
The legal right for an individual to choose body donation is also governed by the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act. It is recommended that any person wishing to donate their body make advanced arrangements with the organization they choose to donate their body to and include the information in an advance directive.
Options for Southern Californians
When considering donating your organs/tissues for transplant, or your body for medical/forensic research and education, there are five options in the Southern California area we have researched and endorse. A high-level summary of each of the options is provided below. In addition, we have included a comparison table of the organizations we have researched to assist you with your research.
One Legacy - A non-profit organization associated with the DMV “pink dot” on your driver’s license enabling organ/tissue donation to people awaiting transplants. The body is then returned to the family for burial/cremation.
Register through Facebook: Recently, Facebook announced that FB users can now use their Facebook accounts to register as organ donors. Here is how it works:
1.) Go to your account and click on Life Event
2.) Click on Health & Wellness
3.) Click on Organ Donor and then enter whatever information you want about being a donor.
UCLA Medical Center - A non-profit organization that accepts bodies from the Southern California area for purposes of local medical research and education. The body/cremated remains are not returned to family.
University of Tennessee's Forensic Anthropology Center (UTFAC) - A research center within the University of Tennessee that accepts bodies from the Southern California area for purposes of forensic anthropology research. Bodies are not cremated since the emphasis of research involves skeletal studies. The skeletal remains are not returned to the family because they are used for research indefinitely. However, visitations of the remains can be arranged.
Science Care - A for-profit organization headquartered in Arizona with a facility in Long Beach, CA. Science Care receives bodies from throughout the US (except New Jersey and Minnesota) for the purpose of medical research, training and professional education nationwide. Cremated remains are returned to family within 3-5 weeks. Donors who have participated in organ donation may also still be eligible to donate the whole body for medical research.
Life Legacy - A non-profit organization based in Arizona that is able to receive bodies from throughout the US and benefits research institutions around the world. Cremated remains are returned to family.
For all organizations listed the following criteria apply:
· The deceased must have been 18 years or older.
· The deceased must have had no communicable diseases (UTFAC will accept unpulverized
cremated remains of individuals with communicable diseases).
· The body must weigh less than 250 lbs, except for Science Care, which accepts up to
300 lbs., and UTFAC, which has no weight limit.
· The body must not have any decomposition or trauma, except for UTFAC which allows
organ donation prior to donation.
· The body must be donated within 24 hours after death except for Science Care who can still proceed with donation if the process is started up to 48-72 hours after time of passing as long as the donor is under refrigeration.
· The body must not have undergone autopsy. Except for Science Care which will consider an autopsy alongside other medical
criteria to determine eligibility for donation.
Additional Resources:
Organ and Tissue Donation Initiative
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach: This book provides an informative and entertaining history of the use of cadavers in research, including a chapter on Mary's visit to the Tennessee Body Farm.
Organ donation is the process of surgically removing an organ or tissue from one person (the organ donor) and placing it into another person (the recipient). Transplantation is necessary when the recipient’s organ has failed or has been damaged by disease or injury. Organ transplantation is one of the great advances in modern medicine. Unfortunately, the need for organ donors is much greater than the number of people who actually designate themselves as organ donors.
According to organdonor.gov, up to 8 lives can be saved by 1 organ donor. In addition, tissue donation can dramatically enhance the quality of life for many individuals. Organdonor.gov estimates that more than 28,000 transplants were made possible last year through organ donors and that another 1,000,000 people received cornea transplants and other tissue transplants that helped them recover from trauma, bone damage, spinal injuries, burns, hearing impairment and vision loss. However, there are thousands of people who still die every year waiting for organ donations that never come.
The legal right for an individual to choose organ donation is governed by the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act. It is recommended that any person wishing to donate their organs register as a donor in advance to eliminate any possible confusion or delay at the time of death (see below for details on organ donor registry through One Legacy). The choice to be an organ donor should also be included in an advance directive.
About Whole Body Donation
Whole body donations are used for medical research and education. These donations can be made to medical schools or private organizations that distribute the bodies to institutions to be used in their research or for teaching purposes. Most organizations will return the body after the research has been completed and will cover the cost of cremation or burial of the body.
Most organizations do not disclose to the family the type of research that was conducted on the body or how the body was of benefit to the advancement of medicine and/or science. However, Life Legacy, a non-profit, whole body donation organization who sends a summary packet outlining the benefits of the loved one's gift to the family after the research has been completed. Similarly, Science Care, a for-profit company sends the family a follow-up letter one month after donation, outlining the medical research and education projects their loved one's participated in and the unique benefits healthcare.
If knowing how your body will be used in advance of your death is important to you, you may want to consider the Body Farm, a forensic anthropology research center at the University of Tennessee. Research conducted at the Body Farm involves the study of natural decomposition. This type of research is aimed at determining the age, sex, ancestry, and stature of a deceased individual as well as determining the time since death and the manner of death. The Body Farm also retains all skeletal remains for inclusion in their Bass Donated Skeletal Collection. This type of research directly benefits law enforcement.
If this option is appealing to you, we have included information about the University of Tennessee's Forensic Anthropology Center (UTFAC) Body Farm in our comparison table. UTFAC is a leader in forensic anthropology and was the first lab of its type to be established in the United States in 1982.
The legal right for an individual to choose body donation is also governed by the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act. It is recommended that any person wishing to donate their body make advanced arrangements with the organization they choose to donate their body to and include the information in an advance directive.
Options for Southern Californians
When considering donating your organs/tissues for transplant, or your body for medical/forensic research and education, there are five options in the Southern California area we have researched and endorse. A high-level summary of each of the options is provided below. In addition, we have included a comparison table of the organizations we have researched to assist you with your research.
One Legacy - A non-profit organization associated with the DMV “pink dot” on your driver’s license enabling organ/tissue donation to people awaiting transplants. The body is then returned to the family for burial/cremation.
Register through Facebook: Recently, Facebook announced that FB users can now use their Facebook accounts to register as organ donors. Here is how it works:
1.) Go to your account and click on Life Event
2.) Click on Health & Wellness
3.) Click on Organ Donor and then enter whatever information you want about being a donor.
UCLA Medical Center - A non-profit organization that accepts bodies from the Southern California area for purposes of local medical research and education. The body/cremated remains are not returned to family.
University of Tennessee's Forensic Anthropology Center (UTFAC) - A research center within the University of Tennessee that accepts bodies from the Southern California area for purposes of forensic anthropology research. Bodies are not cremated since the emphasis of research involves skeletal studies. The skeletal remains are not returned to the family because they are used for research indefinitely. However, visitations of the remains can be arranged.
Science Care - A for-profit organization headquartered in Arizona with a facility in Long Beach, CA. Science Care receives bodies from throughout the US (except New Jersey and Minnesota) for the purpose of medical research, training and professional education nationwide. Cremated remains are returned to family within 3-5 weeks. Donors who have participated in organ donation may also still be eligible to donate the whole body for medical research.
Life Legacy - A non-profit organization based in Arizona that is able to receive bodies from throughout the US and benefits research institutions around the world. Cremated remains are returned to family.
For all organizations listed the following criteria apply:
· The deceased must have been 18 years or older.
· The deceased must have had no communicable diseases (UTFAC will accept unpulverized
cremated remains of individuals with communicable diseases).
· The body must weigh less than 250 lbs, except for Science Care, which accepts up to
300 lbs., and UTFAC, which has no weight limit.
· The body must not have any decomposition or trauma, except for UTFAC which allows
organ donation prior to donation.
· The body must be donated within 24 hours after death except for Science Care who can still proceed with donation if the process is started up to 48-72 hours after time of passing as long as the donor is under refrigeration.
· The body must not have undergone autopsy. Except for Science Care which will consider an autopsy alongside other medical
criteria to determine eligibility for donation.
Additional Resources:
Organ and Tissue Donation Initiative
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach: This book provides an informative and entertaining history of the use of cadavers in research, including a chapter on Mary's visit to the Tennessee Body Farm.