Persuasive Speech

Topic: Why should we support organ donation after death?

General goal: I want to persuade my audience into support the idea of organ donation
from the deceased.
Specific goal: I want to convince people to breaking the limitation on culture and religion,
and joining the activity to promote public good and their own good as well.
The reason for choosing this topic:
I choose this topic because organ donation after death is a topic that many people know it
is a good thing, but only few of us will put it into action.
Introduction

I. Attention getter: Hi, everyone. Before starting my speech, I would like to know
how many of you are willing to donate your organs after death. Raise your hands
to let me know. Oh, only few people.
II. Listener relevance: You might think that this issue has nothing to do with you;
however, there are news that you are familiar with-- a lot of patients are waiting
desperately for new organs. Without immediate transplantation, most of them
can't even survive within half year. This kind of news are not strange to everyone.
But when we are asked to do so, we keep silent.
III. Thesis statement: I know that there are factors like the conceptions from our
culture and religion that keeps us from being organ donors. But in the speech, Ill
find you an outlet to these limitations and also give you an insight into growing
problems from not realizing this idea. After the speech, youll change your mind
and know why you support this idea.

Body
I. Before we talk about why to support organ donation after death, it would be
better to know why most people oppose this idea.
Listener relevance link: Culture and religion are always the main causes.
A. Just take our Chinese culture for example.
1. The great Confucius said that our bodies given by our parents shouldnt
be injured. Therefore, it seems that we cant donate our organs to others

except to our parents, or we might disobey the filial piety.

B. As for religion, Buddhism emphasizes the concept of reincarnation.
1. To realize reincarnation, the deceased must keep their bodies completed
when they are buried or cremated.
a. An well-known example is eunuch. This kind of people can take back
their private parts only when they retired. And of course, the only
reason they take back the parts which is not functional any more, is
for reincarnation.
Transition
So, it seems we have to abandon our cultures and religions if we want to support
organ donation after death. In fact, we dont need to. Just as we can add in some
exception rules to the Constitution of our country, we can also add in some exception
rules for our belief. And for me, the new rule is that we can put cultures and religions
aside if what we do is for the public good and for our own good.
II. Organ donation after death can be considered a behavior for public good.
Listener relevance link: It not only benefits patients needing new organs, but also
solve the problems from illegal organ trade.
A. Today, the demand for organs significantly surpasses the number of donors
everywhere in the world.

1. Take kidney transplantation for example. In the United States, about

115,152 people are on the waiting list, almost about a third of those
patients cant receive a donated organ. (Wikipedia)
B. So, if these patients want to survive, so far the only way they have is to buy
fresh organs from a black market. But organs traded in black market brings
three major problems:
1. First is about the quality and safety of organs in black market. Because the
organs available are limited, some rich patients will buy themselves new
organs from black market. However, the problem is that the most organs
auctioned in black markets havent been put through any disease test. In
that case, it is likely that an organ purchaser might get another disease
and suffer from it for the rest of their life.
2. Another problem is about ethical problem. In black market, most of the
donors usually come from poor countries. In a study of organ donors in
India, it was found that 71% of all donors fell below the poverty line. It

seems that the rich can deprive the poor of not merely their money but
also their health and even life. (Wikipedia)
3. The third problem is about organ theft. In this case, the victims are always
unemployed males between ages 2040 who are seeking work and are
taken out of the country for operations. And the number of victims will
increase, because of the demand and supply principle. (Wikipedia)
Transition: Therefore, if the organs in the dead can be donated to those in need,
patients on the waiting list can start a new life soon, and all kind of problems from
illegal organ trafficking can be solved.
III. Perhaps you are not a person who cares much about the public good, so you are
not interested at all in what I just talked about.
Listener relevance link: If so, there is still a reason for you to support the
ideafor your own good
1. because we dont know when we might need organs from others to be
alive.
a. Life is so unpredictable that we cant expect whether we will be the
next one on a waiting list of organ transplant. Therefore, support the
idea just in case.
2. Besides, when people pass away, their shells will end up to be dirt or
ashes. However, organ donation can turn parts of the dead from useless
things into something not only useful but priceless for some patients.
People all fear death. But by doing so, the dead can be alive in other
forms.

Transition: Therefore, organ donation after death can save your life in the future and if in
your life you dont need organs from others, you can have the chance to create a new
value of your life after you are dead.
Conclusion
Now look at this picture, are you sympathy for them?
If you are, then dont let religion and culture become the factors stop you from doing the
right things. Because when this idea realized, it saves not only the life of patients but also
prevents people from being illegally deprived their organs while alive. These are what we

can do for others.

As for our own good, we can we can still exist after death because the measure of
our life is not its duration but its donation. We donate, therefore we are. Thank you
for your listening.
Reference
I. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_trade
II. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_donation#United_States