Dustin Ballard

About the author: At the time this viewpoint was written, Dustin Ballard was a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania.

A policy of presumed consent—which mandates that individuals must opt out of donating their organs—is ethically problematic. Such a policy would create the possibility that doctors would violate people's bodies without their consent. A better system would be to require individuals to make an explicit choice about organ donations—perhaps when they apply for their driver's licenses or file their taxes. Such a policy would likely increase levels of organ donation while also ensuring that an individual's choices regarding organ donation are respected.

When John Doe obtained a fake ID he may have anticipated...