Donor registries, first-person consent legislation, and the supply of deceased organ donors

Abstract

In this paper, we exploit the varied timing in state adoption of organ donor registries and first-person consent (FPC) legislation to examine corresponding changes in the supply of deceased organ donors. Results indicate that the establishment of a state organ donor registry leads to an increase in donation rates of approximately 8%, while the adoption of FPC legislation has no effect on the supply of organ donors. These results reinforce the need to encourage individuals to communicate their donation preferences, either explicitly via a registry or by discussing them with family.