**1. Introduction**

Transplantation of organs and tissues has succeeds to associate life and death for the benefits of society. Current evidence suggests that transplantation medicine might be a crucial health guarantee for society. However, the paradoxical shortage of donated organs limits this possibility.

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

This extraordinary progress of medical sciences offered to the people by health care organization, has generated the need for novels methods and State actions to be able to implement it without any restrictions for the benefit of society.

A critical analysis of the reasons for the uncertain people behavior toward donation suggests as a valid alternative, that the current message to society has not been able to develop a posi-

The Society, the Barriers to Organ Donation and Alternatives for a Change

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.73756

49

As a proposal, we have suggested a change of the classic slogan "Donate is a gift of life" for "Donate is to share life". In addition, we have proposed the following ideas as useful supple-

A social education that allows a real knowledge of this problem will be a challenge to facilitate people understand a human right acquired by the Society: to give or receive donation of

We suggest the aforementioned slogan: "Our body after death is a unique and irreplaceable

It is interesting to note that current people's feelings regarding organ donation does not fully agree with the concepts stated by UNESCO emphasizing that attitudes of society toward

It would be important to make people aware, as the main protagonist of the lack of organs, of

At present, time should ensure the possibility that anyone who requires a transplant can receive it in necessary time. The social security of modern states should use maximum resources in the achievement of educational programs that have analyzed and proposed solutions to the real barriers that generally inhibit the will to donate, in the search of achieving a

In addition, the training of young people through the incorporation of topics on donation and transplants in curricular programs, periodically carried out in schools, colleges and universities, may be another way to develop a change in people's attitudes toward organ

Ignorance and prejudice continue to be the general causes of society's lack of response to the social need of organ donation; particularly with respect to the deceased donor [3]. Several

**1.** People are only partially aware of how accepted, organized and frequent transplantation

**2.** People do not consider that they themselves may need a transplant during their life.

**3.** Society is not cognizant that the body after death offers a unique source of life.

tive change in this current social conduct [2].

organs and tissues during life.

donation.

ments to modify current behaviors toward donation:

these significant notions required today by society.

positive change in the current indefinite social behavior.

**2. The underlying reasons for organ shortage**

possible explanations for this behavior have been suggested:

of organs and tissues is today.

"During life we are all potential recipients of a transplant".

"All monotheistic religions accept organ donation and transplantation".

source of health" as a valid challenge in search of a social change.

organ donation do not conform to the principles of social behavior [8].

Certainly, this advance in medical practice should generate new health programs different from those recognized until now. The vital requirement to transform death into life, which is what organ transplants symbolize, requires the end of somebody life. Therefore, the knowledge and acceptance of the metaphor, "transforming death into life", should be recognized by the State and by the people.

It is important that society knows the benefits that organ transplants mean for the security systems. This reality is evidenced in the significant budgets differences of a kidney transplant compared to a same period of patient in hemodialysis.

To achieve this goal, it is essential that people should understand currently the essential solution to solve the inexorable evolution of patients suffering from a terminal organ failure and that our body after death is a unique and irreplaceable source of health.

This possibility depends of people's legal organ donation either during their lives or that at the time of death of their loved ones. Unfortunately, this people's option remained for decades in a partial response.

Organ shortage is a social, psychological, ethical, moral and political problem, causing unjustifiable damage to public health.

As a consequence of organ shortage, patients on waiting lists are "unfairly" dying everyday. In a way, the unjustifiable truth of today is that society is denying another human the chance to live.

Regarding the notion of people "unfairly" dying while waiting for an organ, it is also true that thousands of people are dying everyday because of socio-economic inequalities [1]. However, the reality of this is that such deaths are a consequence of multiple and complex problems, including economic, political, social inequality and corruption. All of these problems are extremely difficult to take care of. In contrast, organ shortage solution fundamentally depends on the change in the current social behavior toward organ donation. This alternative could be achieved if the strategies to modify frequent people's attitude toward organ donation are evaluated and revised.

This social paradox urges a rational response. The puzzle to answer is what is the motive of this crime of "lese majesty" that humanity is committing against itself?

The reasons most responsible for this negative behavior toward organ donation are basically ignorance and misinformation [2–6].

Worldwide, approximately 47% of people who are asked to donate organs and tissues gave their consent despite the fact that in opinion polls, between 75 and 90% of the population is in favor of the donation.

At this moment, more than 125,000 people in the United States are in need of a life-saving organ transplant. And 64% of them are currently on a waiting list—to which roughly one person is added every 10 min—unfortunately, only about half of them will actually receive, the transplant they need this year [7].

A critical analysis of the reasons for the uncertain people behavior toward donation suggests as a valid alternative, that the current message to society has not been able to develop a positive change in this current social conduct [2].

As a proposal, we have suggested a change of the classic slogan "Donate is a gift of life" for "Donate is to share life". In addition, we have proposed the following ideas as useful supplements to modify current behaviors toward donation:

"During life we are all potential recipients of a transplant".

This extraordinary progress of medical sciences offered to the people by health care organization, has generated the need for novels methods and State actions to be able to implement it

Certainly, this advance in medical practice should generate new health programs different from those recognized until now. The vital requirement to transform death into life, which is what organ transplants symbolize, requires the end of somebody life. Therefore, the knowledge and acceptance of the metaphor, "transforming death into life", should be recognized

It is important that society knows the benefits that organ transplants mean for the security systems. This reality is evidenced in the significant budgets differences of a kidney transplant

To achieve this goal, it is essential that people should understand currently the essential solution to solve the inexorable evolution of patients suffering from a terminal organ failure and

This possibility depends of people's legal organ donation either during their lives or that at the time of death of their loved ones. Unfortunately, this people's option remained for

Organ shortage is a social, psychological, ethical, moral and political problem, causing unjus-

As a consequence of organ shortage, patients on waiting lists are "unfairly" dying everyday. In a way, the unjustifiable truth of today is that society is denying another human the chance to live. Regarding the notion of people "unfairly" dying while waiting for an organ, it is also true that thousands of people are dying everyday because of socio-economic inequalities [1]. However, the reality of this is that such deaths are a consequence of multiple and complex problems, including economic, political, social inequality and corruption. All of these problems are extremely difficult to take care of. In contrast, organ shortage solution fundamentally depends on the change in the current social behavior toward organ donation. This alternative could be achieved if the strategies to modify frequent people's attitude toward organ dona-

This social paradox urges a rational response. The puzzle to answer is what is the motive of

The reasons most responsible for this negative behavior toward organ donation are basically

Worldwide, approximately 47% of people who are asked to donate organs and tissues gave their consent despite the fact that in opinion polls, between 75 and 90% of the population is

At this moment, more than 125,000 people in the United States are in need of a life-saving organ transplant. And 64% of them are currently on a waiting list—to which roughly one person is added every 10 min—unfortunately, only about half of them will actually receive,

this crime of "lese majesty" that humanity is committing against itself?

without any restrictions for the benefit of society.

48 Organ Donation and Transplantation - Current Status and Future Challenges

compared to a same period of patient in hemodialysis.

that our body after death is a unique and irreplaceable source of health.

by the State and by the people.

decades in a partial response.

tifiable damage to public health.

tion are evaluated and revised.

ignorance and misinformation [2–6].

the transplant they need this year [7].

in favor of the donation.

"All monotheistic religions accept organ donation and transplantation".

A social education that allows a real knowledge of this problem will be a challenge to facilitate people understand a human right acquired by the Society: to give or receive donation of organs and tissues during life.

We suggest the aforementioned slogan: "Our body after death is a unique and irreplaceable source of health" as a valid challenge in search of a social change.

It is interesting to note that current people's feelings regarding organ donation does not fully agree with the concepts stated by UNESCO emphasizing that attitudes of society toward organ donation do not conform to the principles of social behavior [8].

It would be important to make people aware, as the main protagonist of the lack of organs, of these significant notions required today by society.

At present, time should ensure the possibility that anyone who requires a transplant can receive it in necessary time. The social security of modern states should use maximum resources in the achievement of educational programs that have analyzed and proposed solutions to the real barriers that generally inhibit the will to donate, in the search of achieving a positive change in the current indefinite social behavior.

In addition, the training of young people through the incorporation of topics on donation and transplants in curricular programs, periodically carried out in schools, colleges and universities, may be another way to develop a change in people's attitudes toward organ donation.
