You have raised a lot of issues but the first one that comes to mind is 'where did they get Mr Bobbit's Pee Pee from? or where do they get the bits needed for a sex change from?

Organ giving is not accepted in some religous beliefs... Jehovah Witnesses are one I can think of.

I don't think abstinence and organ donation go together as you suggest.

2000 years ago..organ transplants were sort of not done...

Originally posted by Agarta
This is the reason, I feel, that religion embraces fidelity as it is a proven way to not pass on such diseases, but at the same time an open cut and saliva would accomplish the same thing in such cases as HIV and other diseases transferred through bodily fluids, not to mention the fall of public opinion of organized religion and its practices today. This puts every organ transplant at risk does it not?

I think my main concern is that there are already many people on waiting lists for organ transplants as the system goes now. They are all, for the most part, waiting for another to die(which is sad in itself) within the guidelines of blood type, organ health, etc. that by further limiting the use of donor organs or even the donors themselves, that more of these people, on lists, will die due to the risk of sexual partners.

Life itself is a risk. I understand the need to be careful, as it could cause the recipient to die, but are they not in the same position sitting on a waiting list that has just multiplied in length10 fold due to the limitation factor of available donors?

My reading of the article (and glancing over the regulations) is that these guidelines DO NOT exclude 'high risk' individuals from donating organs, but simply require the potential recipients of 'high risk' organs be better informed of the risks as part of the consent process.

This has NOTHING to do with religion and EVERYTHING to do with scientific evidence. The evidence is there that having two or more sexual partners in the past 12 months raises the risk of developing various blood-borne viral infections.

These new guidelines also reduce the period that people would be considered high-risk for engaging in many other behaviors (men having sex with men, sex for money, injection drug use, incarceration, etc) from five years to one year, better reflecting the incubation periods of these diseases. Yes, the additional people being high risk for multiple partners is likely to outweigh the people no longer high risk for these other reasons, but the guidelines are a lot less discriminatory and better rooted in scientific evidence.

That said, I'd totally take a high-risk organ over no organ if I were if desperate need of a transplant - as I'd imagine most people would when given the options.

Originally posted by Thurisaz
You have raised a lot of issues but the first one that comes to mind is 'where did they get Mr Bobbit's Pee Pee from? or where do they get the bits needed for a sex change from?

I believe that Mr. Bobbit had his original organ re-attached.

The bits and pieces for sex changes are actually made 'from scratch' by taking bits of tissue, fat, skin, and the like from other areas in the patient's body. Google it if you're interested, but it's quite interesting what modern medicine can do.

Originally posted by bluemirage5
So if you want to be an organ donor while living a promiscuous lifestyle? Putting yourself and your partner at risk is one thing but you are also putting at risk up to a dozen other people who could be recipients of your organs.

Fair enough, but with the way organs are so hard to come by, I'd be willing to bet decent money that a vast majority of people facing the choice between a 'promiscuous' organ and continued suffering with a high likelihood of death before another match is available, they'd choose the 'promiscuous' organ.

Though I do totally agree that people should be as fully informed about their donors as possible.

well it sorta makes sense, i am not a doctor or anything but it stands to reason that anti rejection drugs suppress the bodies immune system.

and iirc a large percentage of organ donors come from motorcycle accident victims, usually in states that dont require helmets. anyway risk takers on the highway are probably also risk takers in the bedroom etc, possibly drug users as well, who knows.

anyway, this is pretty unpleasant to consider, but food for thought.