A medical student at McGill University in Montreal, Morse is not registered as an organ donor yet and feels Facebook is a great way of communicating and raising awareness.

“Facebook is a very powerful communication tool,” she said. “Many people, especially those of my generation, use it daily to schedule events or to stay connected to the lives of friends near and far. In that sense, Facebook could be an effective way to raise awareness for this issue and to encourage others to become donors.”

Users can add their organ donor registration status to their profile page by clicking the “Life Event” and then “Health & Wellness.” 

“The recipient receives with this ‘free gift’ not only the gift of life, but the gift of gratitude,” said Morse.

“I think that this gratitude which recognizes the generosity of the donor is really a grace from God, for all good things and all our good dispositions must be linked to that ultimate good who is God Himself.”

In 2010-11, 222 organ donors in Ontario helped save 985 lives through organ transplants, said Leona Hollingsworth, spokesperson for the Trillium Gift of Life Network.

Paul Filaber, a Catholic student at the University of Toronto, is not registered as an organ donor. But the Facebook option is an encouragement to change that. “My faith says that I do not live for myself but for God, therefore for others,” said Filaber. 

Although Jesus criticized those who were public about their almsgiving and fasting, it was because they were doing these things for public recognition and not for God. “Since I would not donate an organ primarily for public recognition, I should not restrict myself from talking about it — particularly because I could encourage others to do a good deed this way too,” Filaber said.

Alicia Emond, who is registered as an organ donor, believes posting organ donor status on Facebook is a great idea. “I support the publishing of organ donor status because it would help raise awareness for organ donation,” said the Ottawa university student. “It’s also a way of describing yourself and that’s what Facebook is for, in my opinion. It’s a way for people to get to know you better.”

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s girlfriend Priscilla Chan, a medical student, inspired him to create this addition to Facebook’s timeline after she witnessed social media helping in Japan after the 2011 earthquakes and tsunami. Another driving factor was Zuckerberg’s friendship with the late Steve Jobs, whose life was extended following a liver transplant. “What we hope will happen is that by just having this simple tool, we think that people can really help spread awareness of organ donation,” Zuckerberg told American media. “That can be a big part of helping solve the crisis that’s out there.”

(Ward, 19, is a journalism student at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ont.)