Becoming A Living Organ Donor

Organ transplantation is a term that most people are familiar with. When a person develops the need for a new organ either due to an accident or disease, they receive a transplant, right? No, that 's not always right. When a person needs a new organ, they usually face a long term struggle that they may never see the end of, at least while they are alive. The demand for transplant organs is a challenging problem that many people are working to solve. Countries all over the world face the organ shortage epidemic, and they all have different laws regarding what can be done to solve it. However, no country has been able to create a successful plan without causing moral and ethical dilemmas.

Deciding who receives an organ can be a tough decision, it can also be a controversial one. Being a living donor can be a great way to show autonomy; however, in some cases, a living donor can feel coerced into giving organs. According to Susan Lim, it is difficult to tell the difference between a voluntary autonomous donation and a coerced donation (Video). It is common for coerced living donations to come from a submissive spouse, inlaw, servant, slave, or an employee (Video). Furthermore, it is extremely common for a family member to give an organ due to the pressure from family dynamics (pg. 640). Some living donations can truly be voluntary and an autonomy decision, but more than likely living donations have some influence from pressure.

Both state and federal legislation has been put in place to provide the safest and most equitable system for allocation, distribution, and transplantation of donated organs” (HRSA, n.d.). Consent is required from a patient regardless of the intervention from a physical examination to organ donation. It can be given: Verbally-for example, by saying they are happy to have an X-ray or in writing-for example, by signing a consent form for surgery. There are two types of organ donation: living and deceased. Donated organs are given to someone who has damaged organs that need to be replaced. An organ transplant may save a person's life or significantly improve their health and quality of

Process of transplantation: “patient is identified as ill and organ failing, doctor assesses if eligible for transplant” (Ethics of Organ Transplantation, 2004, p. 6). “If so, doctor refers patient to local transplant center to be placed on the list” (Ethics of Organ Transplantation, 2004, p. 6). “The transplant center evaluates the patient’s health and mental status as well as the level of social support to see if the person is a viable candidate” (Ethics of Organ Transplantation, 2004, p. 6). “Organs can come from recently deceased people, cadavers, or living persons” (Ethics of Organ Transplantation, 2004, p. 6). “The waiting list for donors is maintained by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)” (Ethics of Organ Transplantation, 2004, p. 6). Now that I’ve set the basic principle for what an organ transplant

Throughout history physicians have faced numerous ethical dilemmas and as medical knowledge and technology have increased so has the number of these dilemmas. Organ transplants are a subject that many individuals do not think about until they or a family member face the possibility of requiring one. Within clinical ethics the subject of organ transplants and the extent to which an individual should go to obtain one remains highly contentious. Should individuals be allowed to advertise or pay for organs? Society today allows those who can afford to pay for services the ability to obtain whatever they need or want while those who cannot afford to pay do without. By allowing individuals to shop for organs the medical profession’s ethical

Organ donations have encountered organ donor, and as a result, organ supply decreases. Over the years, organ donation challenges and demands increase inversely in proportion to the organ shortages. The primary mission of donor’s organizations is to save as many terminally ill recipients at the end stages of their lives as possible with an end goal of giving these recipients a normal a life span. The significance of organ donation is to restore an ailing person’s quality of life. The ongoing issue of organ shortages may be a symptom of the current program that present an idealistic portrait of how these issues may be resolved. As a result, the mission and ultimate goal of organizations such as UNOS and Donate Life America, among others, is to obtain viable organs for their patients and to promote; education, empower altruism and establish quality ethics, and act as a resource for existing and potential donors.

The first successfully transplantation of an organ occurred in 1954, and since then the rates of organ donation have increased substantially (Welbourn, 2014). However, a big discrepancy exists between the amount of available organs and the quantity of people requiring one to survive. Thus, legislations have been made to minimize such discrepancy. Different countries have diverse copying mechanists on how to overcome this issue. Currently, Canada has the opt-in system in which any individual that wishes to become an organ donator may do so by registering (Eggertson, 2012). However, organ donation rates in Canada are quite small compared to other countries such as Spain, Belgium, or the United States – rates standing at 15.5 donors per million population in Canada compared to 35 PMP and 26 PMP in Spain and USA respectively in 2012 (Norris, 2011). Several countries worldwide have opted for an opt-out system in which individuals are presumed to have consent to be organ donors unless specified otherwise, and such countries have higher donor rates, but it is not known if the reason is specifically due to this presumed consent system (Norris, 2011). I believe that an opt-out system (presumed consent) would be beneficial in Canada because it addresses important ethical issues, including autonomy, beneficence, justice, and non-maleficence.

With people making important decisions about their body every day the subject of organ donation becomes increasingly important. For years, the topic has been the source of many controversial debates regarding its ethical and moral ideations. Organ donation should remain voluntary for several reasons: first and foremost it is still considered a donation. Next, patients and their families should have the right to say no to medical procedures. And, lastly, bodily autonomy should be respected by healthcare professionals. Many argue, however, that organ donation should be mandatory as to decrease not only the time spent on an organ donation list but also the risks of mortality while waiting for a new organ. Families often have the final say in

“There is a need to instil in people's hearts, especially in the hearts of the young, a genuine and deep appreciation of the need for brotherly love, a love that can find expression in the decision to become an organ donor.” Pope John Paul II stated in the Address to International Congress on Transplants. In a culture of death and self-centeredness it is important to prompt the youth to consider becoming an organ donor. The number of people in need of a transplant is growing quickly, and already is at a large rate. Eighteen people will die each day waiting for an organ transplant; more must be done to help these people, yet it must be within the standards of medical ethics.

Nearly 120,000 men, women and children are on the national transplant waiting list (“Learn About Organ Donation”). Eighteen people die each day waiting for a transplant (Video). An organ donor can save up to eight lives. Imagine if everyone signed up to be an organ donor and no one had to be on the waiting list. Sign up to be an organ donor today and give the gift of life.

It is important to recognize the factors that play a role in a potential donor's decision to partake in organ donation either in death or while living. First and foremost, an internal drive to help others is a quality that should visibly shine in the individual. Also, their selfless character and willingness to help those around them should be unmistakably apparent. Given that sometimes the recipient will be a person who they know, when the donor recognizes how much that person means to them, suddenly the sacrifices required to make organ donation a success will be put by the wayside. Most commonly, family members or close friends of the potential donors are experiencing medical issues that require a new organ or an addition of tissue. Proceeding

Accordingly, those arguments are then countered by several notable points: sale is contrary to human dignity and disturbs fair play (Kishore, 2005); funeral is the duty of relatives (Mayo Clinic, 2013); it saves lives thus, to not taint the altruistic motives of the donor and his or her family is imperative. Accordingly, the relatives of departed donors every so often esteem organ donation as an approach of giving connotation to the death or of permitting the individual to “live on” in others. Besides, spouses and relatives who “act as living donors experience the personal reward of seeing that the recipient’s

The need for organ donation is far greater than organ availability in todays every changing world. This has encouraged political and public support of the organ donation programme by restructuring and investing in the issue of organ donation. Today, the greater majority of organs that are able for transplant come from dying patients on an intensive care unit, or from ones who wish to donate their organs as a normal part of end-of-life care. This has put a considerable amount of pressure on physicians to accustom to the large amount of ethical and practical guidance being published to achieve this. This research paper explores some of this pressure put on physicians when it comes to making decisions on organ transplants.

According to United Network for Organ Sharing (2010) organ donations and transplantation are the removal of organs and tissues from one person and placed into another person’s body. The need for organ transplantation usually occurs when the recipient organ has failed (UNOS, 2010). Organ donation can save the lives of many individuals who are on the waiting list for an organ donation. Becoming an organ donor can be a difficult decision. Many people have the false beliefs about being an organ donor. An example would be if organ donor is on their driver’s license and a person is in a life-threatening accident everything will not be done to save their life. There is an increase need for organ donors and unfortunately the need for organ

In 1954 the first organ transplant in history took place in the United States. Over the past few decades, thousands of people have had the ability to be a recipient of a transplanted kidney, heart, pancreas, liver, or another solid organ in the United States and throughout the world. These people have been able to extend their lives and have had the opportunity to have their health enhanced as a result of an organ transplantation. Organ donation is a significantly selfless way to give back to the world, making a huge difference in not just one but possibly multiple people and giving them a second chance by prolonging their lives. Most commonly donations occur from those that give consent after death, but there are also opportunities to donate while living. Importantly, people should be educated on the shortage there is for donations globally but they should also be aware of how many people can be impacted by the action of checking the box when receiving a driver’s license. The donation of organs is not only an important decision for yourself, but it is also an important decision for the life that you may have the power to save. The power of organ donation can not only save lives but there is a satisfaction of giving while alive or whether you wait until you leave the world. The need for organ donors is growing and the act is very simple.