Final answer:
The right to donate someone's organs typically lies with the next of kin or a designated healthcare proxy, adhering to any documented wishes of the deceased, such as those in a donor registry or advanced directive.
Step-by-step explanation:
The power to donate the organ of a deceased person often falls to the next of kin or designated healthcare proxy if the individual did not make their wishes explicitly known through documentation such as a donor registry or advanced directive. In the case where a person dies intestate (without a will), state laws dictate the hierarchy of decision-makers. It is critical that these decisions respect the autonomy and previously expressed wishes of the donor, especially in cases such as brain death where ethical considerations are paramount.
Medical advances like the "heart in a box" developed by TransMedics are improving the logistics and viability of organ transplants. However, issues surrounding consent, medical ethics, and respecting an individual's end-of-life decisions, as evidenced in cases like that of Terri Schiavo or the development of technologies to "print" organs, continue to be areas of important discussion.