Addressing the unintended adverse consequences of first-person consent and donor registries.

One of the most common reasons given for the refusal to donate in both the United States and the United Kingdom is that the potential donor, in his lifetime, said he did not want to be a donor. This objection has not always been given by families refusing to donate and appears to be an unintended consequence of donation strategies based on public education, donor registries, and first-person consents. A history of the objection is given, possible meanings are explored, and strategies for dealing with it are suggested.