Although it can save lives, the decision to become an organ donor should not be taken lightly.

And so Illinois lawmakers went a bit too far when deciding to let the deceased’s next of kin have the last word in whether the donor’s decision would be carried out.

A proposed bill, backed by Secretary of State Jesse White, would create a “first-person consent” organ and donor registry in Illinois. It would give the person, and not the family, the final decision on organ donation.

The bill could help save more lives by affirming the donor’s decision.

Six million people in Illinois have decided to become donors. However, the donor’s wishes are often not carried through, White said in an Illinois Secretary of State press release.

The Gift of Hope, an organ and tissue procurement organization, estimated that 40 percent of families say “no” when approached for permission. Even when families are notified of a donor’s decision in advance, 19 percent say no, according to the Illinois Secretary of State Web site.

Given that patient-only consent is used for other critical decisions, this proposed bill is logical.

A physician and patient, for example, can document a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order that will not allow the commencement of cardiopulmonary resuscitation if a patient stops breathing or his or her heart stops.

The bill to make the donor registry binding is a step in the right direction. But it does not eliminate the need for the prospective donors to consult their families about their decision. It is important for them to do so because it can make it easier for family members to cope with the loss.

It is also important for donors to have an easy way of canceling the contract should they change their minds.

For more information on the bill or how to become a donor, visit the Illinois Secretary of State Web site at http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com.