The Ethics of Organ Donation and Recycled Body Parts: A Discussion

As I sit down to write this article, I'm reminded that I'm an organ donor, although not actively donating organs at the moment. It's marked on my driver's license that if something were to happen to me, I would want parts of my body used to help others, in the hopes that it wouldn't be in vain for those who are left behind.

I've also been thinking about cremation and the creation of implant recycling. If you ever need a replacement like my grandfather had knee replacements, implants are becoming increasingly common. Some people have components built into their bodies that aren't unlike cyborgs, at least today. Technology has made our lives easier, and when we move on, those implants can be reused. There's an industry around recycling body technology.

What I find interesting is the question of how we would respond to such a request - if someone were to ask for your artificial hip or other parts from you. It's not a light-hearted topic, but it could save money for people who need implants. Taking a recycled body part from someone else raises questions about the ethics of it all. You can't call someone with a used body part an existing body part, and yet that's what we're starting to do.

As I explore this idea further, I want to know if anyone would ever consider being a cyborg if given the chance. Would you replace your eyes with a heads-up display? The technology is coming, and it's likely to be in our lifetime. We'll become infused with technology in ways we can't even imagine yet.

There are people whose lives have been transformed by technology - those with clear implants that allow them to hear again, for example. They rely on these technologies to function in a way they never could before. It's hard to imagine living without them, but at the same time, it's also scary to think about how much we're going to be changing ourselves.

I've been following news of Google working on augmented reality goggles that look like sunglasses. These would allow you to turn your head and see things that aren't really there - a heads-up display built into your body. It's not just science fiction anymore, but it's also not here yet.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthank you for watching liking commenting sharing and subscribing right now I am an organ donor well not an active organ donor but I have it marked on my driver's license that if something should happen to me uh I would want things that my body has built for me or I guess parts of my body to be given to others in the hopes that uh you know my loss of life uh and and and and the loss that my friends and family might experience is not in vain uh you know I I don't know uh if I've decided whether I want to be cremated or or or buried you know in in live I I I am thinking uh of live streaming my decomposition so I may not actually go to Cremation route uh but there's something that's interesting to talk about here uh that it doesn't involve death that I hope does not come to anybody watching this video anytime soon uh cremation uh and specifically the creation of implant recycling so if uh you at some point in the future need to get a replacement like my grandfather has knee Replacements uh implants uh you know some people have these uh components built into their body and not like their cyborgs at least today uh but technology has made our lives easier and when you move on uh you Shuffle off this Mortal coil those implants can be reused there is an industry around recycling your body technology and technolog has made our lives easier and certainly you know being able to reuse these components what's what are you going to they're not a part of you I mean they're they're an external piece of equipment that becomes I guess a part of you physically but they're not really you it's just it's it's a component that's your your spirit's not in this component right so uh recycling these body parts uh is something that's interesting I think to discuss if only because you know technology that surrounds us that makes our lives uh better can be reused not just computers could be recycled not just you know televisions uh but Parts uh that had supplanted other parts of your body and now the question is uh how would you respond to such a request uh if someone were to say want your artificial hip uh you know this is not not uh a a a a subject to take in a light-hearted fashion uh but you know it could save some money for people who need implants uh taking a recycled would you take a recycled body part uh from somebody else recycled I mean a physical I mean you couldn't call someone who a used body part A an existing body part would you take something from somebody else and the reason why I'm I'm talking about this today not only because we wrote this article on on Locker Nome which I I hope you do find interesting as I absolutely found thinking about technology in in in the body would you ever want to be a cyborg if given a chance to let's say replace your eyes with a heads up display uh so that you could see and have augmented reality built in to your body uh I think it's a matter of time before this starts happening humans are going to become infused with technology we're doing it now in a very limited sense but uh I don't know if you guys caught the uh announcement that Google is working on Googles uh or like goggles that uh you know you can put on like basically like um augmented reality sunglasses and you know you can turn your head and as you look around things appear in front of you that aren't really there heads up displays are coming in these pieces of technology that we wear in our body anyway imagine having that built into your body uh it's coming maybe not in our lifetime but it's absolutely coming think of everybody out there whose lives have been really transformed through the adaption of Technology uh whether it's a clear implant for those who are never able to hear uh through natural means that have given them the ability to hear uh close to the way other people might be able to hear I would be lost without this p of technology I want a heads up display I would totally you know when it's safe uh and when it's effective and when it makes my life better uh I I'm totally I'm all about being a cyborg and I'm all about liking this video too just like this damn Scotsman asks kind of like Jordy leforge on Star Trek I would be a cyborg would youthank you for watching liking commenting sharing and subscribing right now I am an organ donor well not an active organ donor but I have it marked on my driver's license that if something should happen to me uh I would want things that my body has built for me or I guess parts of my body to be given to others in the hopes that uh you know my loss of life uh and and and and the loss that my friends and family might experience is not in vain uh you know I I don't know uh if I've decided whether I want to be cremated or or or buried you know in in live I I I am thinking uh of live streaming my decomposition so I may not actually go to Cremation route uh but there's something that's interesting to talk about here uh that it doesn't involve death that I hope does not come to anybody watching this video anytime soon uh cremation uh and specifically the creation of implant recycling so if uh you at some point in the future need to get a replacement like my grandfather has knee Replacements uh implants uh you know some people have these uh components built into their body and not like their cyborgs at least today uh but technology has made our lives easier and when you move on uh you Shuffle off this Mortal coil those implants can be reused there is an industry around recycling your body technology and technolog has made our lives easier and certainly you know being able to reuse these components what's what are you going to they're not a part of you I mean they're they're an external piece of equipment that becomes I guess a part of you physically but they're not really you it's just it's it's a component that's your your spirit's not in this component right so uh recycling these body parts uh is something that's interesting I think to discuss if only because you know technology that surrounds us that makes our lives uh better can be reused not just computers could be recycled not just you know televisions uh but Parts uh that had supplanted other parts of your body and now the question is uh how would you respond to such a request uh if someone were to say want your artificial hip uh you know this is not not uh a a a a subject to take in a light-hearted fashion uh but you know it could save some money for people who need implants uh taking a recycled would you take a recycled body part uh from somebody else recycled I mean a physical I mean you couldn't call someone who a used body part A an existing body part would you take something from somebody else and the reason why I'm I'm talking about this today not only because we wrote this article on on Locker Nome which I I hope you do find interesting as I absolutely found thinking about technology in in in the body would you ever want to be a cyborg if given a chance to let's say replace your eyes with a heads up display uh so that you could see and have augmented reality built in to your body uh I think it's a matter of time before this starts happening humans are going to become infused with technology we're doing it now in a very limited sense but uh I don't know if you guys caught the uh announcement that Google is working on Googles uh or like goggles that uh you know you can put on like basically like um augmented reality sunglasses and you know you can turn your head and as you look around things appear in front of you that aren't really there heads up displays are coming in these pieces of technology that we wear in our body anyway imagine having that built into your body uh it's coming maybe not in our lifetime but it's absolutely coming think of everybody out there whose lives have been really transformed through the adaption of Technology uh whether it's a clear implant for those who are never able to hear uh through natural means that have given them the ability to hear uh close to the way other people might be able to hear I would be lost without this p of technology I want a heads up display I would totally you know when it's safe uh and when it's effective and when it makes my life better uh I I'm totally I'm all about being a cyborg and I'm all about liking this video too just like this damn Scotsman asks kind of like Jordy leforge on Star Trek I would be a cyborg would you\n"