The Pros And Cons Of Organ Donation

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Thirty people a day, more than one every hour. That is the average reported number of Americans who die waiting for an organ transplant. In the time it takes to watch an episode or two of your favorite show, someone will die because the organ they needed was not available in time. Donate Life Northwest goes further to explain that approximately 134,000 Americans are currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. Of these, 81% of the people await a kidney, while others may be in need of a heart or lung transplant. There are also those who need a transplant for life-enhancing procedures such as a cornea or tissue transplant. A single organ donor can save up to eight lives1 while a cornea and tissue donor can save and enhance the lives …show more content…

This is not true for the kidney, however, where it is possible for a person to donate a kidney while alive and continue to live an active and healthy life with the remaining kidney. There have long been ethical issues and considerations regarding live donations. in 1984, The National Organ Transplant Act passed by Congress prohibited the selling of human organs.2 This act also established the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, or OPTN. The OPTN conducts itself by the principles set forth in the act, and primarily centers upon the principles of: utility, justice, and respect for persons …show more content…

Utility with respect to organ donations dictates the maximum amount of net overall good. This idea of net good requires the potential benefits are taken into account along with potential harms; thereby, incorporating the principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence. For live donations of kidneys, there are obvious benefits to the organ recipient that outweigh the potential harm(s) the donor faces with surgery. The donor must accept these risks and be making their decisions about the donation willingly, by their own choice (autonomy). There are some incentives for live donations which can add benefits to the donor, strengthening the utility argument, but these are limited due to conflicts with the principle of justice. For example in 2004 the Organ Donation and Recovery Improvement Act, expanded upon the National Organ Transplant Act to, among other things, provide reimbursement of travel and subsistence expenses for living organ donors 2. However as previously mentioned, the selling of organs is outlawed. This is done to uphold the principle of [social] justice and ensure fair and equitable allocation of donated organs. European policy also reflects this. Measures have been taken to outlaw the selling of organs in Europe by introducing statutes prohibiting trading in human organs such as the Human Organ Transplants Act (1989) in the UK

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