John Oliver Investigates the Organ and Body Donation Process

John Oliver's segment on "Last Week Tonight" focused on the crucial yet complex topic of organ and body donation. The segment begins with a humorous tone, emphasizing the importance of organ donation and its lifesaving potential. Oliver uses an Australian advertisement featuring Jesus to highlight this point humorously.

He then delves into the state of organ donation in the U.S. Despite high public support, he points out significant flaws in the system. For instance, there's a stark contrast between the number of transplants performed annually (over 42,000) and the growing waiting list, which exceeds 100,000, with 17 people dying each day waiting for a transplant. These numbers suggest that the system could be more effective and save more lives.

The discussion also turns to body donation for scientific research, where issues of mismanagement and lack of regulation are apparent. Donated bodies, intended for educational purposes, sometimes end up in places like the Museum of Osteology, raising ethical concerns.

Oliver critiques the organ transplant system managed by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs). He points out technical errors, biased patient ranking methods, and inefficiencies in organ procurement that hinder the process. This is illustrated through various stories and examples, including an admission from a former OPO executive about falsifying success rates.

The segment also sheds light on the loosely regulated industry of body donation for science, where for-profit companies operate with little oversight, leading to moral and ethical dilemmas.

In conclusion, Oliver calls for significant improvements in both organ and body donation systems. He highlights recent regulatory changes aimed at enhancing OPO performance and discusses a proposed law in Congress intended to regulate body donations for science. The segment underlines the need for these donations while advocating for better management and oversight to ensure that the intent and generosity of donors are honored and effectively utilized.

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Reference

Organ & Body Donations: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

‍About the Author

Rich Foreman brings over 30 years of technology leadership to his role of CEO and Co-Founder of KidneySoft.  As founding CTO, Rich led the team that developed the CordicoShield / CordicoFire Wellness App. Cordico was honored with the Sacramento Innovation Award in 2021. After achieving a 7 digit ARR, Cordico was acquired by Lexipol in 2020. Rich has a BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Washington, an MPA from Troy State University and was an officer in the U.S. Navy. Rich co-authored his book, "Tap into the Mobile Economy." Rich's blog was listed in Top 20 Marketing Mobile Blogs of 2014. He has been featured on KCRA3, NEWS10, 1170 Tech AM PowerDrive, Business Radio Money 105.5, SiliconIndia, the Sacramento Business Journal, and the Sacramento Bee. Rich is also the Founding Director of the Sacramento Chapter of Startup Grind and served a term as Utility Commissioner for the City of Folsom. Rich is a regular contributor to TechWire.net and StartupSac. Rich was the Co-founder of Apptology which was named Small Business of the Year in 2014 by the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber. He was also the Founding Chief Technology Officer at Cordico. Cordico was acquired by Lexipol in 2020.  Rich also served 4 years as a Naval Officer in the Civil Engineer Corps.

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