The Ethics of Organ Transplantation

573 Words2 Pages

Organ transplantation is apperceived as one of the most prehending achievements for preserving life in medical history. This procedure provides a means of giving life to patience’s who suffer from terminal organ failure, which requires the participation of individuals; living or deceased, to donate their organs for the more preponderant good of society.

The question arises whether a person’s claim to determine what transpires to their bodies afore and postmortem should be respected. Traditional medical ethics lean toward preserving the rights of the person. This translates into the act of not harvesting organs from the living or deceased unless valid consent has been obtained. The basis of this ethical policy lies in the deontological theories that were established by our philosophical forefathers, such as, John Locke and John Stuart Mill. Refusing to acknowledge the individual rights of a potential donor; the doctor, or medical facility is committing an act of ethical betrayal of the donor, the family, the institution of medicine and the law. Thus, the individual rights of the donor must be upheld to the highest ethical degree.

With an average of 18 people dying every day due to a shortage of donated organs and a new candidate added to the donor list every 10 minutes(U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Staff, 2013), the question arises; who should receive the opportunity of a transplant and who should not? John S. Mill argues ethical points that happiness forms the substructure of morality while fortifying this argument with examples illustrating that all the objects people desire is aimed at happiness. He attempts to answer the question of moral and ethical issues with a look at consensus and principles that support t...

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...for the procedure. Organ transplantation is not a simple process. Testing must commence in order to establish whether the procedure has a high degree of success. If is confirmed that a candidate does not meet the requirements set forth by the medical institution, the candidate must wait on the National Donor List (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Staff, 2013) while the organ is given to the best qualifying candidate.

Works Cited

Mill, J. (2007). Utiltitarianism. London: Dover Publications.

Malachuk, D. S. (2010). Human Rights and a Post-Secular Religion of Humanity.

Journal of Human Rights, 9(2), 127-142. Retrieved on

February 04, 2014 from EBSCOHost doi:10.1080/14754831003761647

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Staff. (2013, January). Retrieved on

February 04, 2014 from http://www.organdonor.gov/whydonate/index.html

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