Liew Yin Jia Judson, 16

School: Chung Cheng High School

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

Conversations about death are absolutely necessary to encourage organ donation.

From the first kidney transplant in 1954 to the present, organ transplantation has gone through immense advancements due to breakthroughs in modern medicine and technology. What was once considered a highly risky experimental procedure has now become a routine clinical treatment that saves countless lives annually. In fact, an organ donor alone can save up to seven lives through transplantation. Naturally, given its efficacy in saving lives, the fact that hundreds of patients remain on transplant waiting lists can be perplexing. However, this is because as far as organ transplantation is concerned, the root problem lies not in medical expertise, but in the severe shortage of organs available. Due to organ donation largely coming from the deceased, organ availability therefore ultimately hinges on an individual’s decision to donate after death. When such decisions are neither planned for nor discussed beforehand, the difficult choice to do or not to do so is left to grieving relatives already suffering from emotional distress. For this reason, conversations about death play a particularly important role in encouraging organ donation. Hence, I largely agree that conversations about death are necessary to encourage organ donation, for the reasons outlined below.

Firstly, conversations about death encourage organ donation as they remove the burden of decision making from grieving families. After the death of a loved one, their families are often in a state of deep grief and shock, and when the burden of decision falls on their shoulders, they are likely to make uninformed decisions influenced by emotions. In turn, family members may realise that they are unable to properly decide and therefore become hesitant as they fear regretting their decision. When compounded with the moral responsibility involved, this seemingly simple decision of whether to donate or not becomes increasingly complex. In the context of organ donation, however, time is of the essence, and every minute spent hesitating causes the window of opportunity to shrink.

By carrying out conversations about death with loved ones, individuals can largely eliminate this period of uncertainty. They move from having to weigh the interests of the deceased, their own morals, and other complicating factors, to simply respecting the deceased’s autonomy and acting in accordance with their wishes. Thus, this allows for donation procedures to be promptly and smoothly carried out, significantly increasing the likelihood of organ donation. This can be observed in a recent research report conducted by the United State Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration, in which family consent rates rose from 69% when the deceased’s wishes were unknown, to 85% when their wishes were expressed beforehand. Therefore, conversations about death do indeed encourage organ donation, ultimately contributing to more lives being saved through timely donations and transplants.

Secondly, conversations about death provide a natural starting point for discussions about organ donation, as they personalise the issue. When confronted with their mortality, people are immediately inclined to consider and ponder on what they want to do with their bodies after death, as it is a closely personal issue. While doing so, this can segue into fruitful discussions about organ donation, where having an alternative viewpoint becomes very important. Conversations are arguably more effective at encouraging organ donation as compared to other forms of encouragement, due to the following reason – other means such as posters or social media posts are impersonal and lack intimacy, mainly because they are usually made to address the general public. Whereas through conversations, two-way clarification can be established, where misinformation, rumours and such may be easily dispelled. This is undeniably crucial as misinformation is a major cause of medical distrust, remaining today as one of the biggest threats to organ donation awareness and understanding. Aside from combating false claims, the intimacy involved deepens mutual understanding and may influence individuals who were initially hesitant to reconsider their stance. In a study published on PubMed Central, it was shown that the consent rate of families who have had self-initiated conversations beforehand is 74% – about 30.1% higher than those who did not, which is 43.9%. Therefore, conversations about death can not only halt the spread of misconceptions, exaggerated claims, medical distrust, but also improve one’s general understanding of organ donation. Thus, in encouraging organ donation, conversations about death are irreplaceable and should therefore be prioritised in efforts to increase organ donation rates.

Thirdly, conversations about death need not be carried out in person, and instead, can be further spread via social media, government speeches, and school talks. As organ donation is a considerably taboo subject in modern society, productive conversations about it are often silenced by the stigma that surrounds it. Hence, this stigma has to be addressed and gradually reduced, which can be done via normalising discussions about death through the methods mentioned above. Using social media, popular influencers can encourage organ donation on sites like TikTok, Facebook or Instagram, and creative opportunities for discussion with viewers about organ donation, helping to clear up any misconceptions. Through their favourite creators, many impressionable youths will not only be able to learn about organ donation, but also make their own decisions regarding the matter, all while having fun. School talks by the principal or external vendors can help to achieve the same effect too. Overall, both of these directions work together to foster a generation well-educated in organ donation. In addition, government speeches help to further normalise these discussions, and act as a reliable source to legitimise information about organ donation. Not to mention, through these conversations, the government can also raise awareness on policies like the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA). As conversations about death and organ donation becomes normalised, people will feel more comfortable expressing their preferences regarding the issue, ensuring that such decisions are no longer avoided or indefinitely postponed. Hence, this shows that conversations about death are vital in encouraging organ donation.

However, in spite of the aforementioned reasons, naysayers may still be of the opinion that conversations about death do more harm than good, as they can conflict with religious beliefs. This is because religious or cultural traditions may uphold beliefs regarding bodily integrity, or death being sacred and hence a sensitive topic. For example, some followers of Christianity are taught that their bodies ultimately belong to God and thus argue that decisions about life and death should not be treated purely as medical or practical issues. Moreover, in societies influenced by Confucianism, discussing openly about death is said to be inauspicious. Therefore, treating organ donation and death as a purely rational choice without acknowledging spiritual considerations can easily appear insensitive. Nevertheless, I beg to differ, respecting religious beliefs and holding such conversations are not mutually exclusive. By acknowledging the speaker’s religious beliefs, the listener can help to make clarifications about their religion’s stance on organ donation. This is particularly necessary as religious people may make pivotal decisions based on misconceptions regarding their own religion. For instance, in Islam, many Muslims believe that organ donation is forbidden, as the body must remain intact after death. However, many Islamic scholars have issued fatwas permitting organ donation, and the principle of saving human lives (darura/necessity) can justify organ transplantation. Despite this, many Muslims still remain unsure about organ donation. This can be seen in a survey published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in which out of 728 western Muslims, although 68.5% agreed with organ donation, only 39.3% believed that it was compatible with Islam, and only 12.7% were registered donors. All in all, this allows religious individuals to conduct decisions that align with their faith, and clarify their religious stances, without transgressing on any religious beliefs.

To sum it all up, conversations about death are necessary in encouraging organ donation as they form part of the broader solution to the conundrum of organ shortage. Such discussions relieve grieving families from the burden of decision-making, aid in correcting misconceptions surrounding organ donation, and gradually normalises these discussions within society. In today’s tumultuous digital age, where social stigma, misinformation, and negligence run rampant, it is all the more important to confront uncomfortable questions that may save lives, rather than avoid them, contributing to ignorance. Every minute spent hesitating, every discussion silenced, and every misconception left unchallenged, inadvertently contributes to the loss of lives that could otherwise have been saved through organ transplantation. In the grand scheme of things, while death may be inevitable, whether it becomes merely the end of one’s life or the chance to save many others depends on whether we, as a society and individual, are willing to talk about it.

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)