Medical ethicists and researchers point to the fact that "Dead Donor Rule" (DDR) hinders organ donation and kills more people than it saves. There are several alternatives to the DDR, for example, cardiac death is commonly accepted in the medical community as dead. It is time for our current understandings of death to guide our organ donation system. Nikas, Bordlee, and Moreira (2016) note that there are variations between states despite the long-standing DDR. We, the undersigned, ask the UNOS to write and suggest guidelines to all 50 states to institute Imminent Death Donation policies to allow for donation from those who have experience cardiac death after a suitable waiting period, as well as donation from those who with terminal illnesses and/or on life support.
Citations:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/CY-DEADD.html
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1307220#t=article
