Nur Rabiatul Adawiyah Binte Mohd Zaidi, 15

School: Bowen Secondary School

Topic: Are youths apathetic towards organ donation?

Award: Special Mention, Senior Category, 2021

The power of a priceless gift of an organ donation serves as a window of opportunity for one to save a life. Organ donation refers to the process of removing an organ from one person and surgically placing it in another person. When one’s organ has failed due to an injury or disease, it needs to be replaced through an organ transplant. In Singapore, all Singaporean citizens or Permanent Residents who are 21 years of age or older are organ donors in the event of death under the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA). Despite being covered under the Act, one can choose to opt out of HOTA but would be given lower precedence on the organ transplant list if it comes to unforeseen circumstances. However, as an outsider to HOTA, have you ever wondered if youths are apathetic towards organ donation? As a matter of fact, there are those who are unconcerned about the matter while there are those who are interested in the altruistic act of organ donation.

Nowadays, Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) lessons are conducted in school. These sessions set one’s sights on imbuing in students the knowledge, core values, social and emotional competencies, in which to nurture character and cultivate responsible citizens. Through CCE lessons, contemporary issues are covered such as mental well-being, smoking, substance abuse and time management. These are all issues that are directly or indirectly associated with students. However, because HOTA does not involve the majority of the youth, organ donation is not among the priorities of the CCE syllabus. This leads to a lack of exposure to organ donation among the youth. With no introduction or gist to what organ donation is about, youths will not realise the significance of the topic. Thus, there is the feeling of disinterest and lack of curiosity towards organ donation.

Age also plays an important role in the feeling of apathy towards organ donation. The youth is defined as young adults between the age of 15 to 24. The decision in HOTA applies to only those who are 21 years old and above. The younger aged ones would view the need to acquire the knowledge on organ donation as redundant since it has yet to be their turn to decide. In their judgement, they would rather stay care-free and wait till they are of the age before stressing themselves out over organ donation. Furthermore, some adults may think that their 21 year olds are still juvenile and not matured enough to make a life changing decision at such a young age. They may be the ones to decide for their child as the next kin of acknowledgement. Subsequently, some youths would concede to their parent’s decisions although they may already be legally responsible for themselves. Knowing that they will not be the ones to decide, youths may not bother in their cognition of organ donation.

In modern times, youths are often referred to as Generation Z, also known as ‘philanthro teens’. Being raised in the era of smartphones, the use of social media and the Internet has become a fundamental aspect of their daily lives. Therefore, they are exposed to the diverse issues in the world, including the social issues in organ transplantation. Through Instagram posts or Youtube videos regarding organ donation, there would be an increased awareness towards the topic. Once they are provided with the basic foundation of organ donation, Generation Z would more likely be curious about the new topic introduced to them due to their inquisitive nature. Moreover, they generally possess a craze for social change. Once the ethical or social issues on organ donation arise in social media, it will not simply be disregarded. Instead, Generation Z would utilize their social media accounts in order to spread information about organ donation. As a result, people may argue that youths are not apathetic but instead interested in organ donation.

Youths are more likely to be sympathetic towards organ donation after being educated about the idea of it. Having older siblings who have already responded to HOTA would arouse the feeling of curiosity towards organ donation. They may wonder about what organ donation is all about and why it is essential to have HOTA. Their general independence would lead them to do their own research on organ donation. As an open-minded individual, they are willing to educate themselves about the issues and also benefits of organ transplantation. To add on, there are some non-profit campaigns which aim to educate people on organ donation. For example, the Don’t Hold Back campaign helmed by 4 students from Nanyang Technological University encourages people to talk about organ donation after death with one’s family. With these campaigns available, it would be facile for youths to be educated on the topic. Therefore, youths may not be considered apathetic due to their willingness to learn about organ donation.

In a nutshell, there are opposing views to the apathy of youths towards organ donation. The manifold personalities of youths contribute to different opinions towards the topic. Some are apathetic towards organ donation, whereas others are passionate about it. Regardless of which, organ donation will still remain clinically important to save or transform the lives of others who are in need of organs. As the saying goes, everyone has a part to play. Everyone should be included in organ donation, be it actually opting to be an organ donor or simply just spreading the news about the issue.

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed in the essays for the Live On Festival 2021 are those of the participants and are not endorsed by the National Organ Transplant Unit (Ministry of Health).

To learn more about organ donation and organ transplantation in Singapore, please visit www.liveon.gov.sg