Religious views on organ and tissue donation: A Canadian perspective.
Canada’s organ donation rate despite efforts in recent years hasn’t been growing as much as is expected to grow. (norris, 2011) Even Canada has one of the lowest rates of deceased donors among the industrialized countries. (www.fundapoyarte.com) The fact is religious concerns can be an important reason that patients or their families decline to donate organs, especially when it comes to organ donation after death. At death’s door, people are extra prudent and it is the time when the issue of faith becomes crucial and families and family’s clergy are likely to get involved. If the religion of donor or his or her family says no to this life-saving practice, then the opportunity of donation may be missed. In some cases families decline to donate because they are unaware of where their religion stands in regards to organ donation and transplantation; and nothing is worse than when a chance to donate an organ is missed because of a false belief. Thus, for organ donation and transplantation to reach optimal levels understanding the perspectives of faith groups is vital. In this paper, viewpoints of all major religions and faith groups in Canada towards organ donation and transplantation are explained. Major religions in Canada are: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism. (Transplantation, 2006)
Christianity
The majority of Christian denominations are in favour of organ donation and transplantation and they call it demonstration of Christian love (Transplantation, 2006). The majority of people in Canada are Roman Catholic and With regards to organ donation and transplantation ...
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...ion a catholic perspective. (2001, february). Retrieved from http://www.archtoronto.org/euthanasia/pdf/colforgandonationfeb2001.pdf
organ donation-it's a mitzvah. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.torontoboardofrabbis.org/TGLN_e_2009_1b.pdf
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Transplantation, T. C. (2006, february). Faith Perspectives on Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation. Canada.
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In his article “Opt-out organ donation without presumptions”, Ben Saunders is writing to defend an opt-out organ donation system in which cadaveric organs can be used except in the case that the deceased person has registered an objection and has opted-out of organ donation. Saunders provides many arguments to defend his stance and to support his conclusion. This paper will discuss the premises and elements of Saunders’ argument and how these premises support his conclusion. Furthermore, this paper will discuss the effectiveness of Saunders’ argument, including its strengths and weaknesses. Lastly, it will discuss how someone with an opposing view might respond to his article,
First of all, the moral implications regarding the donor’s situation are reason enough to ban this practice. Donors are being used as mediums to save other and are not treated as human beings (Greenberg 241). They are misinformed about the terms and consequences of the procedure, as well as being neglected once the organ transplant as taken place. Their own well-being is not taken into account and are not always monetarily compensated as they were told by brokers (Delmonico 1414). Second of all, a government should protect their citizens. Transplant tourism implies taking serious risks as a recipient, from receiving faulty or unhealthy organs to unsanitary conditions. Complications such as organ malfunction or failure might occur in such situations (Shimazono 956). For that reasons, governments of countries such as Canada should criminalize transplant tourism in order to protect their citizens. This point of view might be best portrayed by Utilitarianism as well as John Locke’s moral and political philosophy. A Government has a duty to protect certain rights, including the right to live. It also has to act according to the majority’s will, which includes donors (Sheridan). Of course, it could be said against the
When viewing organ donation from a moral standpoint we come across many different views depending on the ethical theory. The controversy lies between what is the underlying value and what act is right or wrong. Deciding what is best for both parties and acting out of virtue and not selfishness is another debatable belief. Viewing Kant and Utilitarianism theories we can determine what they would have thought on organ donation. Although it seems judicious, there are professionals who seek the attention to be famous and the first to accomplish something. Although we are responsible for ourselves and our children, the motives of a professional can seem genuine when we are in desperate times which in fact are the opposite. When faced with a decision about our or our children’s life and well being we may be a little naïve. The decisions the patients who were essentially guinea pigs for the first transplants and organ donation saw no other options since they were dying anyways. Although these doctors saw this as an opportunity to be the first one to do this and be famous they also helped further our medical technology. The debate is if they did it with all good ethical reasoning. Of course they had to do it on someone and preying upon the sick and dying was their only choice. Therefore we are responsible for our own health but when it is compromised the decisions we make can also be compromised.
Seven percent of people on the waiting list—more than 6,500 each year— pass away before they are able to receive a transplant organ. One deceased organ donation supporter can save up to eight lives through organ donation. After death, organs that can be donated are the heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, pancreas and small intestines. Tissues that can be donated include: corneas, skin, veins, heart valves, tendons, ligaments and bones. More than 40,000 corneal transplants take place each year in the United States; it is the most common transplant surgery that takes place (American Transplant). In addition, a donator can save and improve more than a hundred lives through tissue donation. Organ recipients are chosen based predominantly on medical need, location, and compatibility. Presently, 461,776 transplant procedures have taken place in the U.S. since
Wolfe, R., Merion, R., Roys, E., & Port, F. (2009). Trends in Organ Donation and Transplantation in the United States, 1998-2007. American Journal of Transplantation , 9, 869-878.
Most people when you think of organ donation you think that it concess of someone giving up an organ or someone receiving one. There is a lot more behind this process then just someone donating or receiving an organ. A person has to take in consideration if the person wants to give up their organs, if their religion allows them, how to learn to cope with losing their loved one passing, and more. Organ donation could involve a community and details with a person 's culture beliefs. Organ Donation is one question everyone has been asked, depending on how we allow it to impact us and what we believe.
“There are a lot of people who subscribe to the belief that if a doctor knows you are a registered donor, they won’t do everything they can to save your life.”-Brian Quick. When you’re an organ donor, not only are you giving up your organs but you are also giving up permission granted in the knowledge of the possible outcomes. What I mean is the donor gets no information or not enough facts of the consequences over organ donations. Doctors don’t have to tell you nor your relatives what they are capable to do with your body during operations because you are going to be dead, with no legal rights. Religion would be another factor of organ donation disagreement. While many religions consider donating organs to be an act of love, Catholics are less likely to donate than other religious groups. The reason why Catholics frequently wouldn’t donate organs is because it is due to a belief in the afterlife and the concern for keeping body integrity. Basically they believe once they die they should keep their belonging as self determination over their own
I am very interested in the topic of Organ transplantation. I am interested in biology and the process of surgeries. What intrigues me is the process of saving someone’s life in such a dramatic and complicated process. My dad happens to be a doctor and in his training he cut open a human body to see for himself the autonomy of the body. So being interested in the field of medicine is in my blood. Modern technology helps many people and saves people around the globe. However even with modern technologies that progress mankind, bio medical and ethical dilemmas emerge. And ultimately life falls into the hands of the rabbis, lawmakers and philosophical thinkers.
The act of donation must be made freely and without any coercion and no one is obligated to donate an organ. As Christians, we are strongly in favor of the transplantation and donation of organs because we are able to help others and relieve the sufferings. As stated by Pope John Paul in 2000, he stated that organ donation can be a way of nurturing the culture of life, but he emphasized that that a potential donor needs to be informed about the risks and consequences of a decision to donate an organ. The Catechism tells that it is not acceptable to bring about the death of someone so that there will be organs available for donation, and that vital organs can only be removed after death. There has been a debate on the determination of the death of a person. Organs degenerate very quickly after death, so there is the need to remove them immediately. On the other hand, if vital organs are removed before a person dies, and this contributing to their death, is not acceptable from the position of the Church that defends a person's human dignity and right to
Thesis: While driving on the highway recently, I saw a bumper sticker which read: “Please Don't Take Your Organs to Heaven, Heaven Knows That We Need Them Here” Approximately 7,000 Americans die annually while awaiting an organ transplant. In other countries of the world thousands more whose lives could be extended or transformed through transplants lost their lives because of unavailable organs. The waiting list is ever growing and the list of those willing to donate seems to be shrinking. This can be attributed to lack of motivation and knowledge among the prospective donors. According to a research done by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Kidney transplant, only one in ten people in need of a new kidney, manages to get one. The gap between supply and demand for organs has created a black market for body parts which has led to abuse of human life especially in third world countries. This high demand has led people to scour the globe to procure the organs they or their loved ones need and unscrupulous intermediaries offer help. There is a need to compensate those who are willing donate if this wide gap has to be bridged.
Iran, which has the world’s only regulated system for compensating a kidney donor, has practically eliminated the wait for kidney donation. While Iran’s numbers seem promising when compared to the wait list in the United States, their numbers are still questionable. First, Iran has an authoritarian government, which is widely distrusted in the global community; therefore, many do not trust the accuracy of the numbers which they report. Additionally, Iran has not produced any long-term follow-up information about the donors and the recipients. Despite the reported $3,500 - $5,700 that living donors received, seventy-nine percent of donors could not afford follow-up care. In addition, Dr. J. Richard Thistlethwaite, a transplant surgeon at the University of Chicago, states that “The stigma associated with selling your organs was so strong that 98% did not want to be identified as organ donors” (Stevens...
One of the most important and prevalent issues in healthcare discussed nowadays is the concern of the organ donation shortage. As the topic of organ donation shortages continues to be a growing problem, the government and many hospitals are also increasingly trying to find ways to improve the number of organ donations. In the United States alone, at least 6000 patients die each year while on waiting lists for new organs (Petersen & Lippert-Rasmussen, 2011). Although thousands of transplant candidates die from end-stage diseases of vital organs while waiting for a suitable organ, only a fraction of eligible organ donors actually donate. Hence, the stark discrepancy in transplantable organ supply and demand is one of the reasons that exacerbate this organ donation shortage (Parker, Winslade, & Paine, 2002). In the past, many people sought the supply of transplantable organs from cadaver donors. However, when many ethical issues arose about how to determine whether someone is truly dead by either cardiopulmonary or neurological conditions (Tong, 2007), many healthcare professionals and transplant candidates switched their focus on obtaining transplantable organs from living donors instead. As a result, in 2001, the number of living donors surpassed the number of cadaver donors for the first time (Tong, 2007).
In this paper I will be using the normative theory of utilitarianism as the best defensible approach to increase organ donations. Utilitarianism is a theory that seeks to increase the greatest good for the greatest amount of people (Pense2007, 61). The utilitarian theory is the best approach because it maximizes adult organ donations (which are the greater good) so that the number of lives saved would increase along with the quality of life, and also saves money and time.
Euthanasia is described by the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘The bringing about of a gentle and easy death, especially in the case of incurable and painful diseases’ .
Organ donation is often perceived with doubt because many people do not know the truth. There are many myths out about the donating of organs that cause many people to opt not to. What many do not realize is the truth about organ donation. The body of the donor after the surgery is not mangled up and is presentable for the funeral. Organ donation is ethical and should not be looked down upon. Organ donating is there to save lives, not to hurt anyone. Many people think that they should be paid or given something in return for donating their organs, which is...