In Texas, can someone change the donor status on your driver’s license without consent?

A Keller cancer patient says she noticed her donor status had changed on her Texas driver’s license without her doing it.

“I had my address changed on my driver’s license, now it says I’m an organ donor...I wasn’t before on my previous license. The only thing that changed was my address,” Kara Turrie said. “How many people have they changed their preferences without their knowledge? Now I have to unregister as a donor. I’m a cancer patient and have never been a donor.”

Donate Life Texas is the official organ, eye and tissue donor registry for the state of Texas. Chad Carroll, the executive director, said “it sounds like it was just an error at her local driver’s license office” and that “we do not see this often at all.”

Texans who are applying for or renewing their Texas driver’s license, personal identification certificate or commercial driver’s license have the option to register as an organ donor. If you register as an organ donor, you are giving legal consent to have your organs removed and donated at the time of your death. If you are a registered organ donor in Texas, your family cannot revoke your authorization or consent at the time of your death, according to the Painter Law Firm.

Donate Life Texas says that, once you’re 18 years of age or older, your registration is legal authorization for donation to occur and your decision cannot be changed by another person. All Texans can register to be a donor, regardless of health conditions or background. If you decide to change your decision after having previously registered, you can access your registration and remove your name. You can change your donor status at any time.

“Donate Life Texas is dedicated to honoring every Texan’s wishes to register as an organ, eye, or tissue donor … or not if that’s their desire,” Carroll says.

If your license says that you are an organ donor even though that is not what you selected on your driver’s license application, the Texas Department of Public Safety says you can get this information corrected by emailing their License and Record Service for assistance. Provide a brief explanation of the error and your contact information, and they will respond within two to three business days.