Chiquinho Scarpa made headlines last October when he announced he had decided to bury his $500,000 Bentley in the ground. Scarpa, a Brazilian entrepreneur, said he was inspired by the ancient Egyptian pharaohs who were often buried with their most valuable possessions. Scarpa attracted a tremendous amount of media attention, with many reacting negatively to the announcement. On the day of the announced burial last year, Scarpa revealed his true intentions: to create awareness for organ donation.

“I didn’t bury my car, but everyone thought it absurd when I said I would,” he said. “What’s absurd is burying your organs, which can save you many lives. Nothing is more valuable. Be a donor and tell your family.”        

Organ donation policy is the insidious trauma of U.S. health care. As of 9:12 p.m. on Sept. 10, there were 123,243 men, women and children awaiting organ transplants. Every 10 minutes, another person is added the national registry. Each day, 18 people die waiting for a transplant. With our present system, our country does not have enough donor organs.

The United States currently operates under an opt-in program that requires potential donors to register either online or at their local directory of motor vehicles. According to Spain’s National Transplant Organization, this system yields approximately 26 donors per million people. Yet, a 2012 national survey conducted by the Department of Health found that over 59 percent of Americans who had not granted permission for organ donation were open to the idea. The altruism of the American people, frustratingly, is going untapped and lives are lost every day because of it. Donor cards and licenses are easily lost and families of the deceased are often unaware of their loved ones’ true wishes, resulting in a needless waste of viable organs.

As it stands, the burden of proof is being placed on potential donors when it should be placed on those who do not want to participate. The United States must change its stance from opt-in to opt-out, making it so those who do not want their organs to be donated must actively register themselves as non-donors. Presumed consent is the more ethical and logical solution when taken with the fact that a majority of Americans already support organ donation. There is a tremendous need for organs in our country, and there is also a tremendous amount of waste. Our organ donation policy must be modified until it is able to wholly capture the good will and altruism that exists in the nation. In the mean time, if you want to be an organ donor, make sure you have signed up with your home state.

A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, Sept 11 print edition. Email Zarif Adnan at [email protected].