People opt out of organ donation programs after reports of a man mistakenly declared dead

AP Medical Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Transplant experts are seeing a spike in people refusing to become organ donors, their confidence shaken by reports that organs were nearly retrieved from a Kentucky man mistakenly declared dead. The surgery was avoided and the man is still alive. Details of the 2021 case are murky but donor registries in the U.S. and even across the Atlantic are being impacted, sparking concern that a drop in donations could cost the lives of people awaiting a transplant. By law, only doctors determine if someone is dead, not anyone involved with organ donation or transplant.