Governor suggests paying for organ donations
Citing the need for new approaches to organ donation initiatives, Governor Ben Cayetano of Hawaii suggests the state pay the families of organ donors.
The islands, which rank last in donations according to the Richmond, VA-based United Network for Organ Sharing, have had only seven organs donated since the beginning of the year.
"This has been discussed in the past, and people all thought it was a macabre idea. Let's be practical about things. Let's think about things because we can help people," says Cayetano.
The problem of an organ shortage is magnified in Hawaii. That's because the islands are too far from the mainland to import organs. Secondly, cultural and ethnic beliefs discourage donations, especially among Filipinos, says Tony Sagayadoro, program coordinator of the Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program in Honolulu.
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