Why is it that so few people give blood or are on the organ donor register (UK)?
818332
I believe it is a personal choice, I give blood as i am B positive, I am also on the bone marrow transplant reg, i have left my innards to ever who wants them,  Over the years I have donated over 50 pints of blood.\nYour question is very deep, peoples beliefs are precious to them, think of all the people that want to donate, blood and organs can not because of health issues and religion.\n Two questions for you do you give Blood/plasma are you on the donor register,\nAs my friend can not give blood anymore every other pint i donate i do it for her.
324496
No there is no link.  Every non-scientific person seems to think that blood type is a major genetic factor that differentiates people.  The truth is, your blood type is just one of tens of thousands on minor genetic details that make you different from the person next to you.  I'm not saying blood type isn't important, it is very important when it comes down to blood transfusions, and to a lesser degree for organ donation.  This is important because an immune system tends to react with the "unknown" blood cells when used in a blood transfusion.  These cells may have minor changes to the sugar molecules attached to proteins in the red blood cell.  This makes them "foreign" and can cause severe blood clotting and death.\n   There are whole other sets of genes that will determine which types of foods you shouldn't each (allergic reactions) and need to each extra of (vitamin or other dietary deficiencies), but these are completely unrelated to your blood type.
40256
I have donated over three gallon of blood. Not only are you helping other people, you are refreshing your own blood supply. It's just a wonderful thing to do, and it doesn't hurt! More people should be donating blood,there is a large shortage of blood plasma.
993801
Yes, but I haven't donated in years.  Last time I went in I was anemic, and then I was pregnant, and now with a 5 month old I haven't had time.  I love to donate blood, there is nothing better than knowing that with a little needle prick you could save someones life.
443222
usually a kidney transplant is donated from people such as... people with same blood type weight height etc, and most common----family members.
823252
Wow, this opens up a can of worms.  Be prepared to duck; you may get some very sharpish answers!\n\nFor what it's worth (FWIW), I've heard that some very conservative Christians are not very happy with the idea of organ donation because they want to be resurrected with all their parts.  \n\n(Personally, things are going to decay anyway, I figure, and I cannot see how an omnipotent Deity is going to be slowed up significantly if someone's minus a few tissues....But I'll leave it for such believers to believe as they choose, and if I've misunderstood their doctrine, hope they'll accept it as an honest goof and not malicious.)   \n\nI understand that some of the more conservative Jewish groups feel that autopsies and such are disrespectful to the dead, and THINK that some Muslim groups have similar beliefs.  However, do NOT know whether the potential "good" and charity that can come from saving life overrides such "disrespect". \n\nI've found, again FWIW, that people in the more "liberal"  denominations (examples:  Quaker/Friends, United Church of Christ), Unitarians, and Pagans/Wiccans tend to be very vigorously IN FAVOR of donating organs and tissues, on the basis of "hey, let's not waste them, and we can do some wonderful good for a number of people".  \n\nHowever, individual people may vary.  You may need to check for "policy papers" on organ donation for each separate spiritual denomination/belief, if you want better data....but this is going to be almost impossible for the atheists/agnostics, and also for the Pagans/Wiccans (because we're independent-minded and ornery as cats, and HAVE no centralized religious governing body to set policy).\n\nI signed the "organ donor" designation on my license right when turning legal age....and before that, told my parents to donate anything and everything as my last wish.  Was raised Lutheran (Missouri Synod---one of the more conservative L.), but now am a very happy Goddess-worshipping Pagan.
339253
I believe the Jahovah's Witness Church does not allow people to give or receive blood, but I am not sure what their reason is.
822035
many muslims come to UK from the middle-east for transplants. Privately of course. Whether it's for quality care or avoidance of religious taboo, I can't say. We all want to survive.
323753
In no country. It is illegal based on international law. Your only alternative is to register on the kidney list and wait for a suitable donor.\n\nSorry.
900741
The main blood groups of concern here are the ABO and Rhesus. \n\nThe rarest ABO group is AB which is found in ~ 3% of the UK population.  It actual frequency does vary depending on you racial background.\n\nThe Rhesus groups are generally classified as +'ve or -'ve.  You could see this written as DD or Dd for +'ve and dd for -'ve.  Rh + occurs in about 92% of the population and Rh- in the remaining 6%.\n\nThe rarest group would be AB, Rh- which would be found in about 1 in 500.\n\nHowever, the Rhesus system is more complex that simple +'v or -'v.   It can be broken down  into 6 or more Rh groups.  The rarest of these is written as Rh2Rh2 and occurs  in ~1%.     \n\nThere are many other blood groups.  Some can be important in transfusion but I will leave it here.
686949
All you need is to be in pretty goo d health.  If you're in the UK you register through the blood donation service - go down to see them, tell them you'd like to go on the bone marrow register.  They make sure you're healthy, check your blood type and add you to the register.  This doesn't mean you'll ever donate, if someone needs bone marrow they check the register and contact potential matches, they then check all those matches to see who comes closest - but they give you all that info at the blood donation centre.
224688
People might have different views about cloning. But  if  organs are cloned for people who cant find any donors ,then its right and should be encouraged.But this technology should be handled with extra care, so that it may not get misused
80404
There is a problem with organ donations: the donated organ has a different genetic structure to the recipient's. As a result the recipient's immune system will attack it as an infection if it relaises it is there. People who receive organ donations are given drugs that supress their immune system to prevent the body from realising that there is a foreign organ in them and attacking it.\n\nUnfortunately the same ability to recognise foreign tissue is used by the immune system to recognise and destroy cancerous growths. Because cancer results from mutations and has a different genetic structure to normal cells it is also often recognised as 'foreign' by the body, and destoryed.\n\nSince organ recipients are on drugs that prevent the body from recognising and destroying foreign material they are also prevented form atatcking and destroying cancers. As a result orgasn recipients develop more cancers and they tend to grow faster than in other people.
138964
In Britain we pay for the NHS, so everyone has a right to life. This doesn't really kick in until you see someone collapse in front of your eyes and know that if it wasn't for the NHS they might have to die there.
1067214
For my life between 19 and 35, I donated at my various work places for a total of 46 times.\n\nBack in the  mid 80's, folks started to hear that AIDS was contracted by "donated blood". It was kind of stupid and funny that less people volunteered their blood because the 'risk' of AIDS. \n\nOf course they have a ton of questions to try and weed out the donors that are 'practicing' homo-sexuals, going back 25 years. Even then they expect some to donate blood, - just to have their blood tested for AIDS. They give those deviants one last chance to use a bar code sticker that says "don't use my BLOOD".\n\nOh, btw, I met my wife while we were giving blood.
48809
There isn't really much demand for testes.  In the US, the number of transplants per year can probably be counted on 2 hands.  They are readily available from cadavers.\n\nI did read about a guy that lost his in an accident.  His brother donated one so the original guy could conceive.
692911
Donating blood isn't always as easy it seems. There is a screening process that everyone must go through before being able to do so. \n\nThere could be several reasons why you can't give blood. If you take medications, certain medicine prevents you from donating blood or if you do donate, your blood has to be given to someone who takes the same kind of medicine. For instance if you are on a keto-steroid such as cortisone which is taken for many reasons such as Asthma or glandular problems, you can not donate blood or plasma unless you are donating to someone who takes cortisone. \n\nYou also may not be able to donate because of the fact you had a brain hemorage which is a bleed from an artery in the brain. Even though the injury happened years agao, you still could have problems or health issues from that injury. Doctor's could be concerned taking blood from you could be dangerous to your health or possibly someone else's. \n\nAnother reason is you might not be healthy enough to donate. Blood and plasma donations require you to be as healthy as possible, such as no major disease like Hepatitis or AIDS. If you have a weak immune system and are prone to catching viruses or your general health just isn't top notch, the blood center can turn you away.\n\nTalk to your doctor or a blood donation center. If you really want to donate maybe there is something you can change in your daily life style that will allow you to do so, such as changing medications, exercising more, or eating healthy foods. \n\nIn the end however, you may just have to realize that your blood is tainted for some reason or another and you are not able to donate.