Now maybe I am being really stupid here but I was wondering that too. If he died of heart failure, wouldn't the heart be of no value to another person?? And I was also under the assumption that organs from drug users (legal or illegal) are also of no value, am I right or wrong??

babblu: I found this site www.core.org extremely informative.

I have also just found the www.donor1.org which is the Gift of Life's website.

Their website has a glaring error AND omission. Nowhere is the real fact of the matter stated that if the donor has checked the donor box, it's out of the family's hands and NO consent is needed. Their FAQ here doesn't address the 'checked donor box versus unchecked donor box' and I couldn't find it anywhere else on their website.

You see, a couple of days ago, I posted in another forum that the family could deny using a loved one's organs for transplant even if the box was checked. In Pa., at least, I now know that is NOT true.

So if you read this part (which I have placed in bold) it gives the impression that the family has some sort of rights in the matter. They don't. Since this FAQ does not address the donor box deal, it really gives the wrong impression. And if they are going around getting family signatures when they should not be, then they're not doing their job properly and perpetuating misinformation.

From their FAQ section:

What are the steps involved in organ and tissue donation?

Hospitals are required by law to notify the local organ procurement organization of the impending death of a patient. The OPO staff will then consider possible medical disqualifications for organ and tissue donation. If none are readily apparent, a trained transplant coordinator will visit the hospital to further evaluate the patient. If the patient is medically suitable, the option for donation is offered to the next of kin. Once the family consents, the coordinators work with the national computerized waiting list at UNOS to match the donated organs with the most appropriate recipient(s) and arrange for the recovery surgery. They also stay with the donor's family and provide support as long as the family wishes. Immediately after the organ(s) are surgically removed from the donor, the OPO staff transports the organs to the transplant centers, where the recipients have been readied for surgery.

FYI-

Coroner Admits Error In Forgoing Autopsy - Print This Story - WGAL.com | WGAL

http://www.wgal.com/print/10412199/detail.html
http://www.wgal.com/news/10412199/detail.html

From WGAL - annotated by me regarding the issues I've raised:

LANCASTER, Pa. -- A Lancaster man shot on his wedding day five months ago has died, and his widow wants the four shooting suspects charged with murder. But that may be difficult. [Did his wife believe that the vital organs that were, by COREs guidelines, not transplantable would not be removed and available for autopsy results? CORE states on its FAQ that damaged organs are not removed for transplant. First they confuse the issue by saying that Mrs. Blodgett signed an unnecessary agreement to donate; maybe this is why the poor woman is speaking out - she thought she had some say so as to what would be removed. By state law, once a donor signs off, the survivors have NO rights as to what is taken. CORE promises only to provide the family the opportunity for an open casket viewing. That's it.]

David Blodgett died last week of a massive heart attack [CORE's website CLEARLY states that hearts that have suffered heart attacks are NOT transplantable] after overdosing on morphine that he was taking to ease his pain. Blodgett was a registered organ donor [This goes to the point of my earlier posts: The Gift of Life program's website and procedures fly in the face of what the law states: that family members do not have the right - or repsonsibility - to deny or agree to donations] and some of his tissue and veins were donated [why doesn't the WGAL story mention the removal of vital organs that failed and were part of the cause of death? Was the LNP reporter wrong?]. Lancaster County coroner Gary Kirchner cleared the move.

An autopsy was not performed at the time of Blodgett's death. Prosecutors said an autopsy is vital to possibly file murder charges.

"Pennsylvania appellate courts state very clearly the obligation of commonwealth to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, a strong element of causation from gunshot wound to death," said Lancaster County District Attorney Don Totaro.

The Gift of Life donor program said it followed standard procedure for organ donation [Well, their standard procedure is flawed and gives the impression that families have to give permission or sign something or have any sort of say so when someone is a registered organ donor]. Kirchner admitted that he mistakenly told the program that Blodgett's death was not a coroner's case. [At least now there is some understanding of the chain of events]

Kirchner has since authorized an autopsy on Blodgett's existing remains. Blodgett will be buried later this week after the autopsy.

Note to Dave Pidgeon: please do a follow up story on this. The CORE website is great - the Gift of Life website is not telling the same story and giving more than one wrong impression and I can understand how Mrs. Blodgett feels like she's been lied to. I believe in the value of organ donation and just wish that someone would get the story right. It would be a great public service to the readers.