Donor process needs clarification

To the editor:

Do you know what you are agreeing to when you check the 'donor” box on your driver's license?

When this box is checked, it appears that it is linked to the Iowa Donor Registry, which populates approximately 20 different boxes online. Do you know or care what these items are?

I have communicated to my family that I am registered as a donor. Since they want closure and will want to view my body, based on the organs and/or skin removed, this could alter the timing of services and some visual appearances. Being kept on life support until organ(s) are removed may also conflict with my living will.

When I renewed my driver's license in 2014, I checked the box for donor. I asked the representative to explain to me what happens between my driver's license and being a donor. She could not explain it and suggested I contact the Iowa Donor Registry. The Iowa Donor Registry provides several FAQs online for review. Nevertheless, I have more questions.

I would like a step-by-step explanation of what occurs if I die in a car accident versus dying of natural causes at any age. Is the body 'always” taken to the hospital to determine donor eligibility? Can family members contest the legality of donor registration? What happens when driver's license are renewed? Are the boxes automatically populated thus overriding the boxes checked by the donor? Can anyone explain this process?

Gloria J. Dixon

Cedar Rapids