Organ & tissue donation decisions

This section of your Directive records your wishes about donating organs and tissues after death. It is separate from your blood-product decisions, but the two can interact — especially if you refuse blood products that may be needed during organ preservation.

The five options

Donate all organs and tissues

You consent to donating any viable organ or tissue for any lawful purpose — transplant, research, or education.

Donate specific organs/tissues only

You specify exactly which organs or tissues you authorize. Everything else is excluded. Use the text field to list them (e.g., kidneys, corneas, heart).

Donate for transplant only

You consent to donation only when organs will go directly to a recipient for transplant — not for medical research or education.

Decline all donation

You do not consent to any organ or tissue donation after death.

Agent decides

You delegate this decision to your Healthcare Agent. If you choose this, discuss your general preferences with your agent beforehand so they can decide in line with your values.

Maintaining life-sustaining treatment

If you select any donation option (except "Decline"), you'll be asked whether life-sustaining treatment may be temporarily maintained solely to preserve organs for donation — even if you've otherwise directed that such treatment be withdrawn.

Yes — You authorize temporary maintenance of ventilation, circulation support, or other measures solely for organ preservation.
No — Treatment withdrawal proceeds on your timeline. Organs are donated only if viable without extended support. This may limit which organs can be recovered.
Agent decides — Your Healthcare Agent decides in the moment based on the clinical situation.

This is not the same as prolonging life. It authorizes short-term support after death determination specifically to keep organs viable for recipients.

Blood-product conflict

Organ preservation and transplant procedures often require blood products — transfusions, plasma expanders, or clotting factors. If you've refused any blood products in your Directive, this creates a potential conflict. The editor will show a warning and ask you to resolve it.

Allow blood products for organ donation — Blood products may be used solely in connection with organ donation, including preparation — and for no other purpose. This is purpose-scoped: it does not change your refusal for your own medical treatment.
Maintain my refusal — Your blood-product decisions apply in all circumstances, even if this means some organs cannot be recovered or transplanted.
Let my agent decide — Your Healthcare Agent weighs the situation at the time.

Why this matters: Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD) protocols may require blood products during organ preservation. Without resolving this conflict, medical teams may be unsure how to proceed — which could delay or prevent donation.

Existing donor registration

If you're already registered as an organ donor through your state registry or driver's license, be aware:

Under the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (UAGA 2006), a signed donor registration typically takes legal precedence over an advance Directive's organ donation provisions.
Your Directive and registration should be consistent. If they conflict, the registration will likely govern.
If you've changed your mind, update or revoke your state registration separately — this Directive alone may not override it.

Tips

Discuss your organ donation wishes with your Healthcare Agent, especially if you selected "Agent decides" for any sub-decision.
If you have both end-of-life and organ-donation preferences, review them together for consistency. Refusing ventilation while authorizing organ-preservation maintenance is permissible but worth noting explicitly.
The "Additional notes" field is a good place to explain your reasoning or add conditions not covered by the options above.

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