Conservatives are holding up the confirmation for Cass Sumstien for the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
One of their main lines of attack is that Sunstein supported taking people’s organs "against their will."
U.S. law assumes citizens opt-out of organ donation unless they specifically select it on their driver’s license, living will, or other legal documentation. In his 2008 book "Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness," Sunstein argues that changing to policy of "presumed consent" — assuming everyone is a donor unless they "easily register" not to be — would "save many lives while also preserving freedom."
His support for animal rights has also inflamed some conservatives. Sunstein has spoken in favor of allowing people to sue on behalf of animals in animal cruelty cases. And in a 2007 speech at Harvard, he advocated restricting animal testing, banning hunting and encouraging the public to eat less meat.
Those ideas have inflamed the hunting, fishing and agricultural lobbies and caused at least two Republicans to hold up his nomination, which has yet to be confirmed.
Talk about Organ Harvesting! What about contacting next of kin in case of death and donation of organs?
Now about another subject Sunstien brought up about hunting. Sarah Palin grew up to eating moose her father hunted. They did not live near a store or have "Fresh N Easy" around the corner. Even the Intuit (Eskimo) have to hunt to sustain their existence.
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U.S. law does NOT assume citizens opt-out of organ donation unless they specifically select it on their driver’s license, living will, or other legal documentation.That used to be true, but it’s not any more.
Under the 2006 Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, an organ procurement organization (OPO) can assume you are an organ donor while they search for evidence of your true intentions. They can hook you up to artificial life support machines to keep your organs fresh, even if your advance healthcare directive says you don’t want artificial life support. They can hassle your family for permission to harvest your organs. They can ask a government bureaucrat for permission if they can’t find your family. They can do this even if the “organ donor” box on your driver’s license is blank.
The 2006 UAGA has been enacted in 39 states and the District of Columbia. Over 80% of the U.S. population lives in states that have enacted this law.
The 2006 UAGA stacks the deck against people who don’t want to be organ donors. Unless your decision not to donate is documented in exactly the right way, OPOs can ignore your decision. State organ donor registries, which OPOs must search under the 2006 UAGA, are biased against non-donors. None of them, not a single one, will record your decision not to donate. They literally won’t take “no” for an answer.
DoNotTransplant.com operates the only online donor registry that allows you to say “no” to organ donation in a way that will stand up under the 2006 UAGA. OPOs are required under law to check this registry. If they find your name on it, they’re legally forbidden from harvesting your organs.
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