Organ transplantation saves thousands of lives every year, and is arguably one of the most significant medical innovations of the past century. However the demand for organs far outweighs that of the supply, with many people not being able to receive the life saving organs they need. That is where Xenotransplants come in; Xenotransplantation involves the transplantation of nonhuman tissues or organs into human recipients. This essay will look at whether Xenotransplantation should be allowed by exploring the positive and negative aspects of the procedure. Being a very controversial form of organ donation, there is many supporting and refuting arguments for Xenotransplantation. Supporting arguments for this procedure are that it makes organs readily available when people need them, as well as minimizing the time people have to wait for an organ suited to their problem. However, there are also some negatives to the procedure, such as, the increased risk of rejection once the transplant is complete, as well as the increased chance of disease transmission across species. The idea of Xenotransplants has been around for a long time, however, due to the lack of scientific advancement in certain fields, problems occurred with the early trialing, which caused it to be abandoned as a possible option. Interest reemerged in Xenotransplants during the 1960’s with advances in immunology and other scientific areas, which helped to discover and resolve many of the problems that had occurred with the first trials. One of the major problems with Xenotransplants was deciding which animals organs were the closest match to humans, allowing for the interspecies transplants to take place. Chimpanzees were largely thought to be the best nonhuman... ... middle of paper ... ... (2014). Xenotransplantation Pros and Cons. [online] Buzzle. Available at: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/xenotransplantation-pros-and-cons.html [Accessed 28 Apr. 2014]. Emedicine.medscape.com, (2014). Medscape: Medscape Access. [online] Available at: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/432418-overview#aw2aab6b4 [Accessed 28 Apr. 2014]. Ibid. Ibid. Debate.yukozimo.com, (2014). Pros & Cons of Xenotransplantation. [online] Available at: http://debate.yukozimo.com/pros-and-cons-of-xenotransplantation/ [Accessed 28 Apr. 2014]. Stanford.edu, (2014). Xenotransplants. [online] Available at: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/transplant/html/frequently_asked_questions.html [Accessed 28 Apr. 2014]. Nelsonerlick.com, (2014). Nelson Erlick :: Author's Official Site. [online] Available at: http://www.nelsonerlick.com/html/xeno_fact_sheet.html [Accessed 28 Apr. 2014].
First of all, we can assess issues concerning the donor. For example, is it ever ethically acceptable to weaken one person’s body to benefit another? It has to be said that the practiced procedures are not conducted in the safest of ways, which can lead to complications for both donors and recipients (Delmonico 1416). There are also questions concerning of informed consent: involved donors are not always properly informed about the procedure and are certainly not always competent to the point of fully grasping the situation (Greenberg 240). Moral dilemmas arise for the organ recipient as well. For instance, how is it morally justifiable to seek and purchase organs in foreign countries? Is it morally acceptable to put oneself in a dangerous situation in order to receive a new organ? Some serious safety issues are neglected in such transactions since the procedures sometimes take place in unregulated clinics (Shimazono 959). There is also the concept of right to health involved in this case (Loriggio). Does someone’s right to health have more value than someone else’s? Does having more money than someone else put your rights above theirs? All of these questions have critical consequences when put into the context of transplant tourism and the foreign organ trade. The answers to these questions are all taken into account when answering if it is morally justifiable to purchase
Thesis: I will explain the history of organ transplants, starting with ancient ideas before modern science until the 21st century.
In the world we’re living in today, many kinds of diseases, infections, and viruses are continuously arising. At the same time, scientists are untiringly researching about how we can prevent or cure them. Unfortunately, millions of people have been affected and sick that some of their organs fail that results to the need of organ replacement. Many people have died because no organs have been available to provide the need of organ replacements. The shortage of organ replacement has been a bioethical issue since then and it seems like no solution has been available. However, due to the studies scientists have been conducting, they found the most possible answer to this issue – Xenotransplantation. It hasn’t become very popular all over the
In America, there are currently 122,198 candidates on the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) waiting list (“OPTN”). Due to a lack of available organ donors, around 18 waiting list candidates will die every day (“OPTN”). This has prompted the development and investigation of xenotransplantation—the transplantation of animal tissue and organs to potential human candidates. Currently in its early phases of development and study, xenotransplantation is controversial for its high failure rate, with only a few cases successful. This is attributed to the human immune system rejecting those animal donated organs, thereby potentially causing immediate death to the human candidate. On the one hand, pre-clinical trials have broadened the understanding of the human immune system, as well as furthered xenotransplantation research. However, because xenotransplantation has achieved little success, opponents of the procedure argue that it is unethical to continue its practice. It is also important to note that trials often use baboons in place of humans, which presents several variables to be examined before further human trials can begin. Moreover, the potential acquisition of zoonotic infection is a serious risk that cannot be fully determined without the use of human subjects. Thus, not only will xenotransplantation require more extensive study, it will also require hundreds of animal lives, all in an effort to create nothing more than a last resort.
Of the Retransplantation of Scarce Vital Organs," reprinted in Arthur L. Caplan and Daniel H. Coelho, The Ethics of Organ Transplants, (Amhurst, NY: Prometheus Books,
Many ethical and social implications arise with xenotransplantation. For example, if some countries allow xenotransplantation and others don’t, there may be a trend towards “xenotourists” – people who travel to get the surgery. They if these people were to contract a disease it could spread and even cause a pandemic. Their country of origin would feel the negative effects so making the decision not to allow this
Spearmann thought of cloning as a way to study cell differentiation. Briggs and King used the technique of nuclear transfer on amphibians and it was successful (Campbell). “Subsequently John Gurdon demonstrated the potential to reprogram differentiated cells by producing adult Xenopus using epithelial cells from developing tadpole intestine as nuclear donors,” says Alberio Campbell. Unfortunately, later studies show that this method of cloning tadpoles didn’t allow them to develop to the adult stage of life (Campbell). “The use of enucleated metaphase II oocytes as recipient cytoplasts proved more successful and in 1986 resulted in the production of live lambs using blastomeres from 8 to 16-cell stage embryos as nuclear donors,” says Campbell. This success in sheep was also used on other mammals such as cattle and swine. There were limitations to the technology. First, the “frequency development was very low”...
Nadiminti, H. (2005) Organ Transplantation: A dream of the past, a reality of the present, an ethical Challenge for the future. Retrieved February 12, 2014 from http://virtualmentor.ama-assn.org/2005/09/fred1-0509.html
“Transplanting animal organs into humans is feasible.” USA Today. November 1999: 54-55. Gehlsen, Gale M., Ganion, Larry R. and Robert Helfst.
"XENOTRANSPLANTATION: The Benefits and Risks of Special Orga Transplantation." BIO. Biotechnology Industry Organization, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
In 2004 another experiment was created in Rochester Minnesota at the Mayo Clinic. The clinic was the first to create pigs that used human blood in place of their own. In 2005, two more hybrids are created the first being a mouse with human brain cells and the second is a feline-human protein hybrid. These hybrids are being created to fight and cure cancers and diseases including Parkinson and Alzheimer’s disease. 2007 and 2008, sheep ...
Safdar, M. (2010) Gene Therapy: Advantages and Disadvantages [Online] Available at: http://www.biotecharticles.com/Genetics-Article/Gene-Therapy-Advantages-and-Disadvantages-271.html [Accessed July 17 2011]
Cloning is a very controversial subject and contains various standpoints. It is a fairly new subject and the technology of it is still in its first stages. There have been many debates over the ethics, consequences, and benefits of cloning. Several pieces of legislation have been passed to regulate and prevent cloning from advancement and potential problems.
"Xenotransplantation – Ethical Considerations Based on Human and Societal Perspectives." Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica. March 31, 2004. http://www.actavetscand.com/content/45/S1/S65.
"What Are the Risks and Possible Side Effects of Donating Blood or Blood Product?"What Are the Risks and Possible Side Effects of Donating Blood or Blood Product? N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. .