Analysis: The Million-Dollar

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The Million-Dollar Question In 1954, Dr. Joseph Murray successfully transplanted a kidney from one identical twin to the other. Organ transplantation was unheard of, an extraordinary phenomenon. Many doubted the miracle due to lack of knowledge or understanding, religious beliefs and ethical problems but that did not stop surgeons from expanding the possibilities to save a life. According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 78,176 people are active waiting list candidates. In 2015, out of the estimation of 75,000 people, only 30,973 people held on to their lives with a new organ, leaving 45,000 people dead. Every ten minutes, someone is added to the national transplant waiting list but on average, 21 people die each day while …show more content…

“Only 30 percent of those who do not respond to treatment live beyond six months and most die within two months” according to the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. An addict, whether it is crack-cocaine, heroine or alcohol, all have the potential in damaging multiple organs, ruining nervous systems, cardiovascular systems, etc. The amount of health problems that drugs and alcohol cause are far reaching. All harmful substances put into the body as frequent as addicts do it can arise serious complications in someone’s health such as lung disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS, strokes and much more. In an ABC News article, Liver Transplant Can Give Some Alcoholics a Second Chance, Says French Study" by Susan Donaldson James stated, “It should be done in certain rare circumstances," he said. "We need a good system to predict which of these people are going to get better…We can't just open the door to this for everyone – there aren't enough organs to go around. The question of "worthy" must be considered with the one of "utility" (ABC News). The reality is, there is a lot of truth in this. There are very long waiting lists that are in place for every organ, and there are simply not enough to be given out generously. Although it is very unfortunate, someone who is not an addict may prove a much more fitting candidate for a transplant. For an organ to function at optimal condition, all of the other organs and systems in the body should also be in optimal condition as well. This cannot be said for addicts in general because there is often damage to an organ from the substance/alcohol abuse that has taken place. Organs may not provide the same usefulness in the addict than they would to someone

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