Facebook Announces Organ Donor Option


On average, 18 people in the United States die each day waiting for an organ transplant. Billionaire Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg wants to change that. He announced Tuesday that the social networking site wants to "help solve the crisis" by allowing users to volunteer as potential organ donors in the United States and the United Kingdom. He described widespread acceptance of organ donation as "a shift in society that will probably take a while to fully take hold" until more Facebook users start sharing their experiences. More than 114,000 people in the United States are awaiting organ donations, 79 people on an average day receive a transplant while 18 die, according to Organdonor.gov. The site says more than 100 million people in the U.S. are registered donors. More than 10,000 people in the United Kingdom need a transplant, according to the website for NHS Blood and Transplant. A Facebook user will also see a Share Your Donor Status link when a friend's donor update hits their news feed. The Facebook page also includes links to Donate Life America for people to become official donors. Going through an online state registry or indicating you want to be a donor when you get your driver's license means signing a legal agreement, unlike the Facebook pledge.