Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In the US, we have recognized the interest of the state in disposing of bodies since the colonial era. In VA and MD, to this day, folks still uncover bodies when going through old trash dumps and expanding cellars. The bodies of indentured servants were frequently thrown in the trash. So much so, that both colonies required that deaths and burials be recorded. In VA, Act XV Buriall of Servants or others privately prohibited was passed in 1661
Slave burials were not always recorded, mass burial sites are still being found around the Medical College of VA where their bodies were used for "research."
Today, even if I wanted to be buried on my land in a grave in a cardboard box, I couldn't be.
Of course, the Swiss are going one step further. Do we need all of our parts in the afterlife? I guess that depends on one's faith.
What are you going to do with your heart and liver in the Heavenly realm? Seriously? You wouldn't be able to take it with you even if you wanted. You wouldn't need it.
But Switzerland has a lot of very traditional citizens. This is bound to rub people the wrong way. Laying one's loved ones to rest can be a very emotional issue, no matter what the religious beliefs, if any. And how will the state dispose of the remains, after harvesting the organs? Does the state have a plan? A mass grave, perhaps?
Organs are not harvested from dead bodies. They are harvested from clinically deceased people while there is still a heartbeat and before the machines keeping them alive are shut down.
Organs are not harvested from dead bodies. They are harvested from clinically deceased people while there is still a heartbeat and before the machines keeping them alive are shut down.
So? And then what? Are the bodies returned to the family, so they can have a ceremony and dispose of the deceased as they wish? How is this thing going to work? Has the Swiss State really thought this through? And isn't the country made up of unusually autonomous cantons, anyway? Would they all have to vote "in" on this?
How do you know if that person is totally gone from the corpse upon death?
Just because it shows no signs of life...that doesnt necessarily mean anything, the persons 'consciousness' could still be in there, in some state, trapped, or stuck...we dont know.
Yeah, we *do* know, because...um, Science. Reality is not altered by the tendency of some people to believe multi-thousand year-old myths written by people who lacked the intelligence and education to properly explain the world around them.
So? And then what? Are the bodies returned to the family, so they can have a ceremony and dispose of the deceased as they wish? How is this thing going to work? Has the Swiss State really thought this through? And isn't the country made up of unusually autonomous cantons, anyway? Would they all have to vote "in" on this?
Do you really want the state to be pulling organs out of your body while your heart is still beating w/o you/your family's express consent to do so?
Don't get me wrong, I don't see anything wrong at all with organ donation, i just think that it's a personal choice.
I have the organ donor endorsement on my driver's license. I support an opt-out process to reduce the organ shortage while maintaining the person's autonomy.
I have the organ donor endorsement on my driver's license. I support an opt-out process to reduce the organ shortage while maintaining the person's autonomy.
I think that an "Opt in" process is the better choice. After all, the organs belong to the person unless/until they decide to donate them to someone else. Of all the possessions we have in life, if we don't own our own bodies, then we own nothing. I'm just not prepared to think that the state owns my body unless I opt out of their ownership.
I think that an "Opt in" process is the better choice. After all, the organs belong to the person unless/until they decide to donate them to someone else. Of all the possessions we have in life, if we don't own our own bodies, then we own nothing. I'm just not prepared to think that the state owns my body unless I opt out of their ownership.
Exactly, can you imagine parents rushing to the hospital only to find out that their child was in surgery having their organs harvested?
I don't disagree with the Swiss proposal. However, under American law it is the decedent's family who has a sort of "property right" to the body. They get to determine how the remains are disposed of. If no directive exists, they can prevent organs from being harvested for transplantation.
^^Exactly...^^ It's a question of law. The corpse isn't the estate's Silver or Rolex.
The family can decide what to do with it, very very narrowly. You can bury them, or burn them, or coordinate a boat and dump them in the sea.
You don't have to embalm the body per se, but if you wish to bury them in another state a week later, then you do need to embalm them. Etc, etc...
AFAIK you can't take them home and put them in the deep freeze though if you wish to pay you may pay someone that's qualified and inspected to store the remains?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
