when is it ethically appropriate to donate an organ

by Beulah Gulgowski 7 min read

Donations under presumed consent would be ethically appropriate only if it could be determined that individuals were aware of the presumption that they were willing to donate organs and if effective and easily accessible mechanisms for documenting and honoring refusals to donate had been established.

Full Answer

What are some ethical issues with organ donation?

Abstract. Clinical organ transplantation has been recognized as one of the most gripping medical advances of the century as it provides a way of giving the gift of life to patients with terminal failure of vital organs, which requires the participation of other fellow human beings and of society by donating organs from deceased or living individuals.

Is it ethical to donate all your organs?

The provisions available in Sub Clause (3), Clause 9 of Chapter II of the THO act states “If any donor authorizes the removal of any of his human organs before his death under sub-section (1) of Section 3 for transplantation into the body of such recipient, not being a near relative as is specified by the donor, by reason of affection or attachment towards the recipient or for any …

What does your religion say about organ donation?

Organ donation and the emergency department: ethically appropriate and legally supported. Organ donation and the emergency department: ethically appropriate and legally supported J Emerg Med. 2014 Aug;47(2):209-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2014.04.014. Epub 2014 …

What are the arguments against organ donation?

Executive Summary. Beginning in 2014, the Ethics Committee (the Committee) coordinated an inter-committee work group to consider the ethical implications of Imminent Death Donation (IDD). IDD is a term that has been used for the recovery of a living donor organ immediately prior to an impending and planned withdrawal of ventilator support expected to result in the …

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Is it ethical to donate an organ?

Major ethical concerns about organ donation by living related donors focus on the possibility of undue influence and emotional pressure and coercion. By contrast, the living unrelated donor lacks genetic ties to the recipient.

What is the ethical principle of organ donation?

1. Donation of organs is an act of altruism, solidarity and community reciprocity that provides significant benefits to those in medical need. Transplantation practices should be motivated by the needs of the recipient and the need to ensure the appropriate use of scarce health resources.

When Should organ donation be called?

Mayo Clinic complies with federal regulations requiring hospital staff to call when a patient meets triggers for organ donation or within one hour after cardiac death for tissue and eye donation.May 8, 2021

Is it ethical to donate organs after death?

Donation after cardiac death raises a number of special ethical concerns, including how and when death is declared, potential conflicts of interest for physicians in managing the withdrawal of life support for a patient whose organs are to be retrieved for transplantation, and the use of a surrogate decision maker.

What are the ethics involved in organ transplantation and donation?

1. The primary bioethics principles, which are evidenced in the analysis and discussion of organ donation are: autonomy, beneficence, justice, and utility. 2. Organ donation encompasses a variety of ethics-laden issues ranging from invalidation of individual rights to the accepted criteria for donation.

What are the main legal and ethical issues surrounding organ donation?

Donation after cardiac death raises a number of specific ethical and legal issues, including potential or perceived conflicts of interest, treatment withdrawal processes, uncertainty about time of death, and consent.Aug 6, 2007

Why you should donate your organs?

Organ donation is an opportunity to help others. Receiving an organ can become a life-changing event for these people. It can also help a family work through the grieving process and deal with their loss by knowing their loved one is helping save the lives of others.Mar 22, 2021

What is a dead organ donor called?

cadaveric donorsDeceased donors are sometimes called cadaveric donors or non-living donors. Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs). Organizations that recover organs from deceased donors and deliver them to transplant centers where a recipient “match” is located. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN).

What are the pros and cons of being an organ donor?

Pros and Cons of Organ DonationYou can save a life, possibly multiple lives. You may even save the life of someone you love.Your family can find comfort in knowing your organs saved others. ... Organ donors and recipients do not have to be an exact match. ... Medical research donation can save even more lives.Aug 5, 2021

Can you harvest organs without consent?

In other words, authorities could harvest organs from your dead body without prior permission from you or your family. If the government is really concerned with getting donor organs, it shouldn't rationalize stealing them, it should amend the National Organ Transplant Act to give people incentives for donating them.Nov 2, 2006

Who Cannot donate organs?

Certain conditions, such as having HIV, actively spreading cancer, or severe infection would exclude organ donation. Having a serious condition like cancer, HIV, diabetes, kidney disease, or heart disease can prevent you from donating as a living donor.Feb 13, 2022

How could patient autonomy be maximized?

As a result, patients who wanted organ donation euthanasia would be able to elect to have it and patients who did not elect it (e.g., in an advance directive) would not receive it. The procedure would look like this: advance directives such as the POLST (Physician Orders for Stopping Life-Sustaining Treatment) form would include an option for organ donation euthansia in the event of irreversible loss of function or terminal illness.

Why should autonomy be limited?

Autonomy should be limited because people do not always know what is best for themselves. For example, people will want organ donation euthanasia instead of holding on to hope/ making peace with their quality of life. To quote David Vellman, “My worry in particular is that the word ‘dignity’ is sometimes used to dignify, so to speak, our culture’s obsession with independence, physical strength, and youth. To my mind the dignity defined by these values– a dignity that is ultimately incompatible with being cared for at all– is a dignity that is not worth having.” ( Velleman, David J, 1992). In other words, people’s egos should not prevent their survival.

How many people are waiting for organ transplants in the UK?

There is currently a major shortage of organs available for transplant in the UK. Over 6,500 people are on the waiting list for organ transplant, and whilst there are half a million deaths in the UK per year, fewer than 6,000 people die in circumstances where they can donate their organs.

Where is Katie from MDU?

Katie is a second year medical student at the University of Liverpool and an MDU student member. She has particular interests in the ethical and social issues related to beginning and end of life care, and their application to clinical practice.

How many lives can you save by donating organs?

When donating organs a person can save up to eight lives, when donating tissue hundreds of lives can be impacted and changed for the better. People may often wonder how to become an organ donor and why. But in reality, it is easy to sign up to be an organ donor and it is one last selfless thing a person can do after life. There may be some ethical controversies that come up with this topic, but in truth it is beneficial and helps those in need. This technology will be further advanced as time goes on where possibly there will be easier ways to successfully complete transplants and possibly not even use actual human organs to complete the transplants but rather synthetic organs and tissues.…

What are the criteria for organ distribution?

“The United Network on Organ Sharing (UNOS) encourages transplant centers to consider the following criteria for distributing organs: 1) medical need; 2) probability of success, and; 3) time on the waiting list” (Centers for Bioethics, 2004, p. 17). Healthcare rationing is unavoidable and necessary, though it could be ethically difficult and complex. It is important to keep in mind that transparency and the levels in which health care is rationed are important aspects to consider in keeping a just healthcare…

Is Jace Riley healthy?

On Christmas day, Jace Riley was given a new heart and is now healthy as ever. If it wasn’t for the decision of one to be an organ donor, baby Jace would have passed. Organ donation should not be an option for the deceased. Organ donation is crucial to saving lives; There are always people on the waiting list. In other countries, doctors have the right to remove organs unless there is a note from the patient saying they can’t and this increases organ supply.…

What are the two strongest arguments for euthanasia?

The two strongest arguments that advocates of this topic hold include a person’s right to autonomy, and the compassion for the suffering. Autonomy— the right of self- determination—is something that people, especially American’s, believe is a very powerful given right. To take away autonomy would be to take away everything freedom stands for. As for the compassion for the suffering, advocates believe that if a terminally ill patient is fully-aware and conscious and requests euthanasia, it is their right to receive it. Advocates for euthanasia believe that it is a humane way of day—versus the alternative of a gruesome suicide—and that it is respecting the dignity of the dying patient.…

What are the pros and cons of regulating the sale of kidneys?

The benefits that come from the regulated sale of kidney, such as the number of lives it would save, the reduction of black market sales, and the money it saves the healthcare system, far out-weigh the cons. Since the term beneficial means to improve a situation, the regulated sale of kidneys would be beneficial. As Dr. Matas travels the country presenting his argument regarding the legalization of the sale of kidneys, he is gaining support. As more and more doctors and other member of the medical community start to warm up to the idea, there are more and more ideas of how a trial could be put together and tested.…

Is organ donation a part of modern technology?

Organ donation is an amazing part of modern technology that has allowed us to save many lives. Unfortunately, finding organs that are available for donation can be very challenging. This has caused some to theorise about the possibility of organ conscription after death. In this essay, I will be critically assessing the statement `the needs of the living outweigh the wishes of the dead; so organs should be conscripted after death’. I will begin by clarifying what I mean by the terms organ conscription and death, and what the parameters around donation are.…

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Saving Lives Via Actively Ending Lives: The Ethics of Organ Donation Euthanasia

  • By Claire Chou In this paper, I explore the ethical implications of organ donation euthanasia, a hypothetical procedure in which the cause of the patient’s death is their vital organs being removed in the operating room. These organs would then be available for transplantation. There is an extreme dearth of organs available for transplantation, making this a relevant topic from a …
See more on bioethicsproject.org

Table of Contents

Patient Autonomy in Organ Donation Euthanasia

  • Organ donation euthanasia maximizes patient autonomy by nearly guaraenteeing that their last wish will be granted, which all other forms of death plus organ donation cannot one hundred percent guarantee. In 2006, a 25 year old man named Ruben Navarro with a progressive neurodegenerative disorder was on life support in an intensive care unit in California. He had als…
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Hippocratic Oath and The Legality of Organ Conscription

  • In general, doctors act upon the principle of nonmaleficence – “Do no harm.” Still, although organ donation euthanasia is it at odds with tradition, euthanasia is not inherently harmful because it is not bringing about any suffering or death that would not otherwise have occured. Inflicting death could be viewed as the ultimate moral harm, but in this context we are talking about a painless– …
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I. Preamble

  • A. Ethical Principles and Regulatory Requirements.
    Ethical principles and regulatory requirements often overlap. In order to understand the intent of this paper, it is important to provide a brief description of the regulatory framework under which the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) operates. This paper does not inte…
  • B. Allocation Policies and Access to the Waiting List.
    Access to the waiting list for an organ transplant is the fundamental prerequisite to organ allocation. Appropriate referral for transplant evaluation is in the province of those caring for the patient with organ failure (such as the end stage renal disease networks in the case of kidney di…
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II. Introduction

  • The ethics of allocating human organs for transplantation is a specific application of ethical norms to social practices. The principles involved are essentially the same as those that apply to other areas of human conduct. They reflect the conclusions of American public bodies which have examined general principles of ethics. In particular, although we use slightly different langu…
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III. General Ethical Principles

  • For ethical principles to be useful in practical problem solving they need to be general enough to apply to a wide range of decisions and simple enough to be easily understood. We identify three principles of primary importance in the allocation of human organs: 1) utility; 2) justice; and 3) respect for persons (including respect for autonomy). Both utility and justice are distinct compo…
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IV. Resolution of Conflict Among Principles

  • The ideal allocation would be one that simultaneously maximizes the aggregate amount of (medical) good, distributes the good justly, shows respect for persons including the autonomous decisions of persons, and is in accord with any other ethical principles that might come into play. Unfortunately, as the foregoing discussion has noted, these principles sometimes come into con…
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v. Conclusion

  • Utility, justice, and respect for persons are three foundational ethical principles that create a framework for the equitable allocation of scarce organs for transplantation. Allocation policies should strive to incorporate an appropriate combination of these principles, giving equal consideration to utility and justice, while incorporating the fundamental aspects of respect for p…
See more on optn.transplant.hrsa.gov

References

  • iaBurdick, James F., Jeremiah G. Turcotte, and Robert M. Veatch, eds. "Principles of Organ and Tissue Allocation and Donation by Living Donors." Transplantation Proceedings 24 (October 1992, No. 5):2226-2237. ibEthical Principles to be Considered in the Allocation of Human Organs (Approved by the Board of Directors on June 22, 2010) http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/resources…
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