New Yorkers might not hesitate to tell you what they think — but don’t expect them to donate an organ.
In New York state, only 15 percent of residents are registered to donate their organs, according to public broadcasting station WNET.
New York has the third-lowest rate of donations in the nation, but the third-highest number of people who need transplants.
According to the New York Alliance for Donation, more than 9,600 New Yorkers sit on waiting lists each year — many more than the 1,500 who receive organs annually.
Right across the Hudson River, New Jersey has a significantly higher rate of donation, with 31 percent of residents registered as donors.
Organ donor advocates say it’s partly because of New York’s complicated donor forms. New Yorkers can register online, but must print, sign and return a letter of consent separately. In New Jersey, for example, residents can simply register online.
Follow Alison Bowen on Twitter @AlisonatMetro.
