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Facebook did a wonderful thing when it made it easy for people to register as organ donors upon death, writes Sally Satel at Bloomberg View. The number of future donors surged, and it looks to be more than a fleeting spike. The problem is that it's not nearly enough, writes Satel. Even if every American agreed to donate their organs at death, it wouldn't come close to meeting the needs of those on waiting lists. And, paradoxically, those lists might now grow larger as people who thought they didn't have a chance sign up because of the increased interest. What we need are more living donors.
"Facebook’s donor sign-up is a brilliant way to harness the power of social networks to save lives through donation after death," writes Satel. "Next, perhaps the social-media giant can add another status question that allows people to 'like' the idea of rewarding people who are willing to give a kidney and save more lives—and tell their friends." Read the full column here, or read about one donor's choice to give up a spare kidney.
