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I am an organ donor myself. I have signed forms to donate my whole body for scientific research and directed medical personnel to take whatever organs they want.

In fact, I'd prefer that nothing is left over for my family to have to deal with because I haven't yet looked into how that is handled. I don't want my family receiving a bill for "disposal of unused parts."

For anyone offended by the bluntness of this, I apologize. I have thought about this for years. At first, I only donated my "eyes."

More recent forms changed to include more options so, about 4 years ago, I left "all major organs."

This past year, when I renewed my driver's license, the form had a statement whereby you could donate your whole body to science. That sounded great to me, and I signed that.

On the other hand, when my hard-of-hearing dad went to renew his license and the woman asked him if he wished to be an organ donor, he seemed startled and said, "What?"

She repeated the question and my dad, who was quite the gentleman around ladies and rarely swore in public, said, "H*ll, no."

Which is why I have to vote "No" on the opt out system.

Some people feel strongly, like my dad, that they are going to leave this earth with what they came in with.

Some families have very strong feelings about this, also. My children had some qualms about my choices, and that's why I hesitated a couple times in making the final decision (in my will and advance directive).

I don't want anyone visiting my grave after I'm deceased and, I feel, by not having a burial site, no one can visit me once I'm gone.

That's a personal decision, yes, but I think the family has rights, too.

Some feel you are mutilating or desecrating the body by removing parts.

In all consideration for those left behind, the living should have some input about the final choices made, in advance, by the family member they will lose. Some people cannot accept the idea of cremation.

The survivors have to live with the final decision, not the deceased.

To have an "opt out" instead of "opt in" seems to take advantage of too many groups of people: the uneducated, the ignorant, the retarded, the foreign-speaking, the elderly, the hard-of-hearing who could easily say "Yes" to any and all verbal questions, etc., etc.

Doing some high-minded thinking, it would greatly benefit those who desperately need the organs.

We have all read of the "heroes" who donated 6 vital organs to 6 different dying people, and everyone thinks that's great - especially the grateful recipient

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