What Is Anatomical Gifting?
An anatomical gift, more commonly called organ or body donation, is "a donation of all or part of a human body to take effect after the donor's death for the purpose of transplantation, therapy, research or education," according to the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act.
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Scope of Need
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More than 106,000 people were on organ transplant waiting lists as of February 2010, yet during the first 11 months of 2009, there were only 13,346 organ donors, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. And as noted by the Florida State Anatomical Board, anatomical gifting is an important resource for medical research and the education of medical professionals.
Types of Donations
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Anatomical gifts are donated both by organ and tissue transplant donors and those who donate their bodies for use in medical research or education. As noted at Science Care.com, organ and tissue transplantation takes priority over research and education.
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Benefits
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Anatomical gifts provide a supply of transplant tissues and life-saving organs, and cadavers provide resources for medical research and education.
Who Can Donate
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Living adults and emancipated minors can choose to be donors. Certain relatives by blood or marriage may authorize anatomical gifts from deceased relatives.
How to Donate
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You can choose to donate your organs or body by completing a donor card, checking the appropriate box while applying for your driver's license, stating your intention in your will or filling out the appropriate paperwork with an authorized anatomical gift recipient organization.
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References
- Photo Credit anatomy_red image by Sergey Tokarev from Fotolia.com
