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Ethical essays on organ donation
Essays On Organ Donor
Ethical essays on organ donation
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Cadaver Organ Donation
Recently, TV Land aired a 1975 episode of All in the Family in which Archie Bunker tries to impress his boss by being the first in line to sign up for the boss’ favorite charity (Bogart 1975). It is not until Archie is holding his donor card that he realizes that he has signed up to be an organ donor. This causes great anxiety for Archie which manifests itself as more stress than usual, worrying about his age, and problems sleeping. Archie finally goes to rescind his donation and states that it is for religious purposes. Archie states that he had a dream in which he has died and is driving his taxi toward heaven. As he is driving toward heaven, people begin taking parts from the taxi. As he continues, people begin removing parts from Archie. When he reaches heaven he is not allowed in because God does not recognize him due to so many parts missing.
Another humorous piece concerning organ donation is from Monty Python's Meaning of Life. In “Part V: Live Organ Donations” Mr. Brown answers the door and finds two men who have come to take his liver, which Mr. Brown states that he is still using. The two men wrestle Mr. Brown to the ground and find on him his Liver Donation Card. Mr. Brown states “Listen! I can't give it to you now. It says, 'in the event of death'.” One of the men respond with, “No one who has ever had their liver taken out by us has survived,” followed by a very bloody removal of Mr. Brown’s liver. Mrs. Brown enters the room and confronts the two men who respond that they are taking Mr. Brown’s liver. After she realizes what is going on she sees the entire episode as being Mr. Brown’s fault for signing the donation card in the first place (Gilliam and Jones 1983).
These two views of organ donation in the popular culture make light of reasons why people do not register to be organ donors; however, they do reflect many people’s anxieties about being an organ donor. An example of this is found in a Boston Herald front page article where the removal of organs from an eighteen month old boy, not for the purpose of transplant, was called “heartless.” The child’s mother stated, “Our son David was all heart, and now he is buried without his heart.
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,
It is said that “Some agree with Pope John Paul II that the selling of organs is morally wrong and violates “the dignity of the human person” (qtd. In Finkel 26), but this is a belief professed by healthy and affluent individuals” (158). MacKay is using ethos the show the morality of those that believe it is wrong for organ sales. The morals shown are those of people who have yet to experience a situation of needing a new organ. Having a healthy and wealthy lifestyle, they cannot relate to those that have trouble with money and a unhealthy lifestyle as the poor. The poor and the middle class are the ones that suffer being last on the list for a transplant, thus have different ethics. Paying an absurd amount of money and still having to be at the bottom of the list for a transplant, is something no person anywhere in the world should have to
One of Buchanan’s most significant failures came in regards to the Dred Scott case. Although he had good intentions in how he wanted to handle this case, he did a terrible job. Phillip Auchampaugh describes this by stating, “His desire to keep himself with the Court in this case was but one illustration of his untiring attempts to avert the impending ruin of the Republic” (Auchampaugh 240). This case was very important because the Democratic Party and the Union were split over the question of slavery in the territories. “Many of the conservatives held that not only the continued existence of the party, but the preservation of the Union rested on the outcome of the case” (Auchampaugh 233). Clearly this case carried extreme importance, and it was vital that the decision made would keep the country together.
Although science is at a peak for overwhelming and astonishing outbreaks, the ethical issues concerning these “out breaks” have been inadequately addressed. As the options that couples that are desperate to have a child expand, so do too the expectations of whom the child becomes. Couples are able to choose a donor, of either gender, based on characteristics that they see fit to their liking. Although imperfect, couples now have the ability to choose their child’s gender. “Medicine tends to be patient-driven at the moment.” Said Charles Strom, MD, PhD, director of medical genetics at Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago. “A patient needs something and physicians do all they can to provide that service, and that sometimes makes one shortcut the ethical considerations.” With our vast
Ethics committee of the American Society for medicine. Preconception gender selection for nonmedical reasons.(May 5, 2001)
Edward Snowden, the famous “whistleblower”, shocked the world with his revelations about the NSA’s database and the programs which allow the organization to access personal information not only of citizens of other nations, but also of citizens of the U.S. The most shocking revelation of all was not the existence of these programs, but the fact that the Obama administration allowed those programs to exist in direct violation of every U.S. citizen’s right to privacy.
Malpani, A. Preconception gender selection. American journal of bioethics 1.4 01 Sep 2001: null. MIT Press. 03 Mar 2014.
While sleeping medication is big business, research has shown that the most successful treatment for insomnia is really cognitive behavioral therapy. This approach to psychotherapy was first founded by such leading researchers as Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck. Beck's exceptional research, theoretical formulation and clinical methods were first published in a series of considerable books and articles in the 1960's and 1970's. Additional research since the publication of these books and articles has shown the usefulness and effectiveness of this treatment approach with regular psychological and physical disorders including anxiety, chronic pain and insomnia. The most noteworthy aspect of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for insomnia is that it in fact treats the cause of the insomnia itself and not just the indications as medication does. Additionally, CBT can be united with medication administration for patients who need quick relief or to help primarily break a pattern of insomnia. CBT works because the main cause of insomnia is over s...
Imagine if it were your best friend, your parents, your siblings, or any other close person that needed a live saving organ transplant. It might change your mind on being an organ donor.
It is clear that a large demand for organs exists. People in need of organ donations are transferred to an orderly list. Ordinarily, U.S. institutions have an unprofitable system which provides organs through a list of individuals with the highest needs; however, these organs may never come. A list is
Insomnia is a sleeping disorder characterised by difficulty in falling and maintaining sleep; even when sufficient time for sleep is made available, it affects roughly 10% of adults (Roth, 2007). Insomnia symptoms have correlated with presence anxiety and depression (Jansson-Fröjmark & Lindblom, 2008; Roth et al.2006), and in cases insomnia has predated the onset of mood disorders (Johnson, Roth & Breslau, 2006). Insomnia can also be caused by: pain from injury, poor sleep hygiene, medications, medical conditions, mental disorders and stimulants; like nicotine, caffeine and other pharmaceuticals. Sleep deprivation can result in: muscle aches, cognitive impairment, memory impairment and irritability, furthermore sleep deprivation has; in cases, shown to be a contributing risk factor in more severe medial conditions; such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, increased risk of diabetes and obesity (McNeil, Doucet & Chaput, 2013; Beihl, Liese & Haffner, 2009). Increases in impaired judgement and risk taking behaviour correlate with sleep loss (Meldrum & Restivo 2014), symptoms can occur for up to 3 weeks in short term cases; or for more than 3 weeks in chronic cases. Given the importance of sleep in maintaining good health and its necessity in aiding development; as well as restoration of the body and memory processing, loss of sleep is not something that should be taken lightly. This essay aims to critically evaluate the treatment effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) by analysing individual components of the therapy, and their influence on the treatment as a whole. A non-pharmacological treatment, CBT-I attempts to treat Insomnia by first attempting to understand the root cause of symptoms, as w...
Digital privacy concerns, which have been a major issue in our country since 2001, increasingly violate our basic human rights as global citizens. The growing amount of government surveillance has manifested in the enactment of acts such as SOPA and CISPA. Although their intent on stopping digital piracy and attacks were clear, both were immediately met with harsh criticism; they allowed big corporations to violate our privacy rights by sharing our personal information with both other companies and the government. Our President, although publicly expressing his acknowledgement of the issue, failed to discuss an array of other pressing dilemmas regulated by the recently exposed National Security Agency (NSA), especially those involving the mass data stockpiles and the rights of foreigners against immoderate and disproportionate surveillance by the US. Furthermore, the intentions of the NSA still remain unclear; why is the collection and the extended retention of this data useful? Those in power believe that the collection of this information allows them to preempt terrorist attacks; a very difficult claim to prove. Our lack of clear answers demonstrate the need for a larger audience who support government transparency. The NSA’s misconduct has dealt multiple blows to the rights of millions both at home and abroad, and the amount of secrecy involving this agency shrouds it in obscurity, inhibiting public debate about these crucial matters.
President and Fellows of Harvard College (1998 Dec.1) Insomnia: Get a Good Night Sleep. Retrieved March 21, 2005 from MEDSYS database.
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...
Historically gender selection has been a part of our society for decades, perhaps not the most liked methods but couples have utilized all options. Couples who did not want either a boy or a girl would leave the baby at the door of a church, fire station, or orphanage. Some would take even more drastic steps such as killing the unwanted child. Some societies continue to use these practices however parents today have more advanced options to sex selection. There are technologies such as ultrasounds that can determine the sex of a baby; so parents can choose to abort or give up for adoption if they are not satisfied with the sex of the baby. In other countries such as china, where they have a policy that the government will only support one child has placed a lot of pressure on sex selection. Although there are methods that Ame...