hota is a good thing, but....

Hota is a good thing, a very practical and utilitarian approach to an urgent health and life problem. Many lives can be extended and saved because of Hota. In clear cut cases of accidental death, there is no issue. And I am also quite sure many family members would willingly donate the organs of their love ones to save others. The last good deed of a dead person. The tricky part is a case like Sim Tee Hua when death is pronounced though not agreeable by all. Clinical death or legally dead or brain dead are new concepts, scientific or legal concepts that may not be acceptable or agreeable to traditional, cultural or religious concept of death. I have even heard an explanation that one can still feel pain if the body is cremated within 3 days of death. The truth is out there. In the implementation of Hota, when cases are less than clean, compassion and humanity must not be lacking. The potential recipients and their family members may have a different view on this. But the hospital has to make a judgement call. We cannot have a system where the utilitarian cause rules over the emotional and personal feelings of the victims and their families. If we allow this approach to continue, we may eventually see a highly proactive and eager harvesting team always on the ready to harvest the organs and risk taking lives prematurely. And what if the organs harvested can be translated to handsome monetary rewards? The second issue is our mentality to think that it is alright to take people's properties by default or by legislation. In the case of Hota, many were in by default but not by intention. They are in for failing or not knowing that they have to opt out. We cannot keep on opting people into schemes by legislating that ignorance is no excuse and ended with them parting with their monies, properties and life, and body organs. Only in a country like ours when the people do not know their own rights to their private properties that they ignorantly consented to them being taken away from them.