(the title comes from a slogan on a van I see near my place for a church, presumably City Harvest. I've always found the slogan a reminder of slasher flicks that take place in dense and tall corn fields.)

In the end, the whole thing ended up with a predictable attempt by them to try and sell us impressionable youths the idea of HOTA the whole time. It was quite painful, actually, because it was obvious to see how they were skewing the discussion, though no one was willing to actually probe their defenses because we were all still pretty much clueless and couldn't care much for the thing anyway.

But what is HOTA, anyway? As far as I know, it's an act that you can either endorse or reject as a citizen before you turn 21. If you endorse it, you will be eligible for organ transplants in Singapore should the need arise, but that also means that they can harvest the organs of your body should your body be ripe for harvesting. That is, if you're dead and your body is suitable for the sickle. If you don't endorse it, your body will be left untouched (that's what they say, at least) but you will also not be eligible for any organ transplants. (other than illegal ones, which you are always entitled to)

One important thing to note, though, and that detractors will always tell you, is that the list of names for patients in need of organ stretches from Maine to Nebraska, then on to Alaska and back. In addition, the number of suitable (and dead) organ donors is very very small. This is because, if memory serves, the organs need to be in tip top condition, and very few dead people have that sort of luxury, I believe. Another part of the claims is that people are terrified that their prematurely dead bodies would be quickly dismissed as dead for the sake of harvesting organs if the act was endorsed by the person. And nobody likes being declared dead when he isn't.

So, we come to my point of contention. With all this information on hand, my current decision is to endorse the act as an individual. The premise lies in the fact that I don't mind my body parts being used for science and for the much-needed aid of someone else's life if it doesn't harm me. I'm dead, I will have no dignity in death to cling on to. If someone can live because they can receive something I don't need anymore, then I don't see why that shouldn't be the case. About the argument that I may have a prematurely declared death, it doesn't irk me so much right now. I just can't see that happening to me in Singapore, but some may say I place too much faith in the system then. Surely, you must have heard of the age old rumors that SGH patients have it tough when it comes to death.

I also know that the line is long, even though I am eligible, should I ever need a transplant. That's fine by me, there's no escaping queuing in Singapore, even in death. And the queue extends to all other countries also, at least in the legal sense of it all.

My parents said no, they don't want the possibility of premature deaths. They also don't like the long line. My brother, as always, remained sarcastic and mentioned something about ... if he goes down, he wants to take others with him.

What would you do, and why?

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