Is Xenotransplantation an Ethical Solution or Disaster?

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Is Xenotransplantation an ethical solution or disaster? The audience for this paper is comprised of those readers looking to gain knowledge on the issue of xenotransplantation. This group of people is unaware of the dynamics of the ethical arguments surrounding this current issue. This audience does not have a specific age or belief, reflecting the varied positions of the argument. Due to this hunger for factual information, they do not wish to have someone else’s views imposed on them. Instead, they wish to define and establish a view of their own. Ethical debates frequently occur today because of advances in society, technology, science, and many other areas. These arguments are comprised of many people due to the diversity of their interpretations of ethics in these areas. Ethics can be defined as “a system of moral, scruples, principles or values that in itself defines what is right or good behavior” (Shankarkumar, 317). The issue involving xenotransplantation, the sharing of organs between different species, has become a controversial subject with disagreements focusing on the ethical perspectives of the surgery. In order to comprehend the numerous ethical arguments surrounding xenotransplantation, the following three parties must be viewed: physicians, both for and against the surgery, and society. Xenotransplantation is defined as “transplanting cells, tissues or whole organs from one species into another” (Baker, 643). These transplantations involve organs such as the heart, kidneys, and many others. Today, pigs have quickly become the donor species due to their anatomical and economical advantages. Pigs grow and reproduce very rapidly, creating a large litter, increasing the number of subjects for donation. Also, their organs and blood vessels are similar in size to those of humans, making their use more practical than that of an anatomically larger species (Baker, 643). The concept of xenotransplantation has been attempted many times throughout history. In 1682, doctors repaired the skull of an injured Ru... ... middle of paper ... ...y). “The Ethics of Xenotransplantation.” The Ethical Spectacle. Oct. 2004. http://www.spectacle.org/0201/xeno.html. Shankarkumar, U. “Xenotransplantation- Ethics and Immunological Hurdles.” Indian Journal of Medical Sciences 57. 7(200): 311-318. Society, Religion & Technology Project. (2004). “The Ethics of Xenotransplantation.” Church of Scotland. http://www.srtp.org.uk/xennuf03.shtml. Trzepacz, Paula T., DiMartini, Andrea F. The Transplant Patient. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Works Consulted Shelton, Wayne. The Ethics of Organ Transplantation. 1st ed. Amsterdam; New York: Elsevier Science, 2001. Wolstenholme, G.E.W., O’Connor Maeve. Ethics in Medical Progress: with special reference to transplantation. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company, 19

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