Why can’t everyone donate their organs when they die?
Under Australian law, a person can only be declared dead if they have suffered cardiac (heart failure) or brain death. When someone suffers a cardiac death the blood immediately stops flowing, damaging the organs and making them unfit for transplantation. If the person suffers brain death while on ‘ventilation’, the blood will continue to provide oxygen to the organs and keep them in a state suitable for transplantation. Only around one per cent of people will die in these circumstances.
