Organ Donation and Ethical IssuesEmma Light

An Ethical Dilemma

A transplant surgeon has five patients, each in need of a different organ, who will each die without that organ.

Unfortunately, there are no organs available to perform any of these five transplant operations.

A healthy young traveler, just passing through the city the doctor works in, comes in for a checkup. During the checkup, the doctor discovers that his organs are compatible with all five of his dying patients.

Suppose further that if the young man were to disappear, no one would suspect the doctor.

Do you support the morality of the doctor to kill that tourist and provide his healthy organs to those five dying persons and save their lives?

What is organ

donation?

For some patients , e.g. those with liver failure, no treatment can save the organ

The only option is a transplant to save their life

Organs can be taken from living donors, such as a family member, or those who are recently deceased and register to donate their organs

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-28223971

Which organs can

be donated?

Heart, lungs, two kidneys, pancreas, liver and small bowel

Because of this campaigners say one donor can transform the lives of nine people

Other tissues such as skin, bone, heart valves, tendons and cartilage can also be used

More complicated procedures are being developed such as hand transplants and face transplants.

Post-death donation

In the UK, 20 million people are on the register to donate organs

Although half a million people die in the UK each year, only approximately 5000 die in circumstances suitable to donate organs

Organs degrade rapidly after deathMost donors are already in intensive care

Suitability

It is about the quality of the organs and if an old person takes care of themselves their organs can still be used for donation

There are only two health problems which means people cannot donate – HIV or Mad Cow Disease

Smoking can make lungs unfit for transplant

Presumed consent debate

In England in order to be an organ donor you have to sign up to the organ donor register. This is called opt-in

In Spain the system is opt-out http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-34964386

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-34932958

A conversation about the controversies of organ donation

Please think about the following questions:

When can you donate organs?What are the laws in different countries?

Why is it so controversial?What is medical tourism?

http://www.elllo.org/english/0951/T985-Greg-Organs.htm

Some more points…

More dilemmas

1. Robert has died and he carries a donor card and has signed the NHS Organ Donor Register. The transplant coordinator approaches Robert’s wife, and she says ‘no’ to donation.

What is the right thing to do? Do you follow Robert’s wishes or his wife’s?

More dilemmas

2. Michael is suffering from chronic liver disease, caused by alcohol-related problems. Without a transplant he will die. Michael is known to be a very heavy drinker.

Should Michael be given a liver transplant? Should he be given another chance?

Would there be any conditions?

More dilemmas

3. A convicted killer requires a heart transplant and after several months on the list, he receives a heart transplant.

How do you feel about this? How do you think the donor would have felt?

More dilemmas

4. Luisa lives in a shanty town in Brazil. She has 7 children, and struggles every day to provide food for them. She decides to sell one of her kidneys to a wealthy family in Brazil whose 11-year-old son is seriously ill awaiting a kidney.

What are Luisa’s motives in offering her kidney? Do you think this arrangement should proceed? Think of the obvious advantages and less obvious disadvantages.

Definitions

Organ transplantDonorControversialEthical problemMedical tourism