Sim Ming Xuan, 16

School: Chung Cheng High School

Topic: Are conversations about death necessary to encourage organ donation?

“Conversations about death are necessary to encourage organ donation.” How far would you agree?

Most people associate death with black and white – black depicting the negativity behind the unspoken taboo, white portraying the empty silence in the void that follows. We spend our entire lives avoiding the inevitable topic, yet it is only by facing it that we will be able to understand the paradox of time, nature and connection. Hence, are conversations about death necessary to encourage organ donation? It is definitely agreeable to a large extent that conversations about the intangible weight of mortality are indeed imperative to unravel the deeper emotions behind our choices, emphasise empathy and most importantly, to work effectively to make the right decision. This idea enables us to understand why speaking up about death is deeply human rather than morbid.

First and foremost, conversations about death enable us to reveal the emotions behind our choices. In the afterlife, when the one thing that separates us from the mortal world is merely our once vital soul that walked this earth, the sole thing that proves our existence are the actions that we leave behind. It is undoubtedly the legacy we leave behind that once spoke a thousand words and makes the world what it is today. Conversations about death fuels the spark in us, the desire to contribute to something bigger than what is left of us. Based on an article published by The Straits Times in 2025, despite Singapore’s opt-out system for organ transplant, our country's deceased organ donation rate was only 3.56 donors per million population in 2022, compared to the average of 6.85 donors per million globally. In our rapidly changing society, organ shortage is without a doubt, not uncommon. Picture this: A patient in need of an organ continues to live in constant fear and unhappiness, and while the cumulative number of patients waiting for a donated organ continues to rise, their lives are affected each and every day. Each time an individual is unaware of organ transplantation, someone out there has a lower chance of getting the help they need. On the other hand, when one talks about conversations about deaths, they put thought to consider organ transplant, not necessarily transplanting their organs but even spreading awareness about it alone is enough to raise the chances of a patient finding the help that they need. For many, this might seem insignificant. For the patients, this is their lives, their reality, their sense of… “hope”.  It is disheartening to see that despite this, many citizens are able to donate their organs but are either unsure or disinterested in the topic itself and the surrounding stigma that organ donation demonstrates. This challenge underlies the hidden meaning of interconnectedness between our personal choices and someone else's fate. Conversation about death acts as the bridge that enables us to realise who we are and who we want to become, by lifting the invisible weight off someone less fortunate than ourselves and changing the legacy one leaves behind. This moves us readers beyond treating organ donation as something one ought to do and instead, thinking of it as a way that shapes one's identity and values while at the same time, reshaping another life entirely.

Moreover, conversations about death can get society to strive towards collective empathy. Ethics is a relatively complex topic that many have differing opinions about, however talking about organ transplant can aid in cultivating a shared sense of cultural and social understanding about organ transplant. This idea of challenging our modern society with the difficult ethical questions may highlight that organ transplant is not merely just an individual's choice, but a collective choice by society itself. A population-based study by Frontiers published in 2021 suggested that in Singapore, 85% of people claimed to be agreeable to organ donation after death, but in the real scenario, there was a significant decrease in assent from family members. Hence, this study suggests how showing knowledge on organ donation and emotional vulnerability can not only deeply affect the decisions one makes, but also change someone else's life entirely. Conversations about death serve as a reminder and approach for society to gain awareness of choices made by their loved ones, a way for ideas to be shared without judgement and an even stark reminder that the highest form of knowledge is empathy. “Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another”. From schools partnering with various organ donation organisations to community centres organising campaigns to spark discussions and teach others on how to approach death, loss, choices and the given option to choose to donate their organs for someone else may provide substantial impact to societies where we never thought was possible.

Furthermore, conversations about death transform abstract concepts into concrete decisions and next steps. Many people know about the implications and benefits that organ donation brings about to not just themselves but to others as well. However, even though many people know about organ donation theoretically, conversations about organ transplant and mortality decisions make it tangible, urgent and relatable to others, transforming words into real life actions. Conversations about death, especially to close ones, changes the abstract concept into a sense that is vulnerable, emotional and conclusive in a way that humanises organ donation. For instance, when a student attends organ donation talks, it would still feel distant like another fact. However, when the student discusses this with their parents, it brings out something more human and raw, a sense of vulnerability that would transform a sole concept and fact into a decision. A choice. An identity. Every single day, the silent warriors here in our very country struggle through time-consuming treatments, a poorer quality of life through the emotional and psychological burden and struggle to make ends meet. Yet, this goes unnoticed by most, because of the lack of awareness, the stigma that conversations about death carry, the “hollow void” between intent and action. Hence, conversations about death are not just something extra but indeed essential and heavily evokes a deeply personal decision, anchored in relationships and the urgency of organ donation.

Admittedly, some might argue that talking about death is emotionally heavy and can be uncomfortable or even seem morbid. While this may be true to a certain extent, and that such topics can be viewed as rather unsettling, especially to different social norms and various cultural, religious beliefs, the discomfort is merely temporary and purposeful even. By framing the conversation with reflection, choices and hope transforms fear into empowerment, making the topic of organ donation not just a conscious and simple decision, but something that stimulates a conscious decision instead of passively avoiding it. Conversations about death can be unnerving and tense, but it is in it, that we change fear into power and power into action. These are also the underlying emotional narrative that depicts the various perspectives many have on the perceptual issue in which the crux lies. At the end of the day, it is not the discomfort of speaking up about death that defines us, but the quiet silence that we choose to embrace that may ultimately cost someone's life.

Overall, conversations about death are not morbidity, but profoundly human dialogues that shape and influence not just our own lives, but others as well. Now, the question that many might contemplate, are conversations about death necessary to encourage organ donation? Exploring end-of-life wishes and talking about mortality enables more than just words. It works wonders to reveal the emotions behind each and every choice, prepare society to work together and strive towards collective empathy and above all, to transform abstract concepts into real, tangible decisions. This is after all, how the change of perspective of something known to reality and as the idea of organ transplant is not about the idea of living forever, but to help someone live longer and change someone else's ending to their story. “Without the organ donor, there is no story, no hope, no transplant. But when there is an organ donor, life springs from death, sorrow turns to hope, and a terrible loss becomes a gift”. Perhaps, in the quiet courage to speak of death, we may just discover the most everlasting way to give someone a second chance in life.

References

1.    https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/kidney-transplantation-now-includes-a-new-pathway-donations-after-the-heart-stops ↗ (opens in new tab)

2.    https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.712584/full ↗ (opens in new tab)

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed in the essays for the Live On Festival 2026 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 ↗ (opens in new tab)