Taking organ donor status to Facebook

Relationship statuses. Reading lists. Posthumous wishes?

The social network giant, Facebook, announced on Tuesday it now allows its users to share their organ donor status on their timeline profile.

Here’s an excerpt from the media release issued by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg:

Today, more than 114,000 people in the United States, and millions more around the globe, are waiting for the heart, kidney or liver transplant that will save their lives. Many of those people – an average of 18 people per day – will die waiting, because there simply aren’t enough organ donors to meet the need.

Medical experts believe that broader awareness about organ donation could go a long way toward solving this crisis. And we believe that by simply telling people that you’re an organ donor, the power of sharing and connection can play an important role.

Facebook now allows users to indicate that they are organ donors and share their story about why they became donors. Facebook also provides links to official donor registry websites for those who aren’t already donors.

Facebook’s Help Center page gives step-by-step directions for adding an organ donor status to your timeline.

What do you think about the new feature? Will be adding a organ donor “life event” to your timeline?