Argumentative Essay On Death Row

After researching this issue and looking at it from the both sides, I believe we must be careful in looking at people based on their current situation as opposed to their health condition. Of course, we can also say, being on death row equates to a health condition in regards to your estimated life span. If you are sentenced to death and are currently on death row, you would not be eligible to receive an organ transplant. On the other hand, short of death row, you would be eligible. If you were a prisoner, and were on the donor list, either to receive or donate, it would be no different than anyone else.

As illustrated by Utah Law (2013), “Utah’s governor, Gary R. Herbert, signed the first state law on March 28 that explicitly permits general

prisoners to sign up for organ donation -- and cracks the door to the controversial option of allowing death-row inmates to donate as well.”

As I had alluded to, I believe even death row inmates have the right to donate their organs. This may be their only way to payback society for their wrong doing. This may also be their only opportunity to donate their organs to a family member or loved one. If that’s the case, why would we take that option away from them?

Some argue that due to the prisoners being incarcerated, this decision is not voluntary, I agree with Satel (2014), “If healthy inmates are sincerely motivated to donate, fully educated about the risks and receive no special treatment in return, how are they not acting voluntarily?

“

The other argument comes in the form of cost. Some of these procedures can cost millions of dollars. Due to this, many believe we already spend too much money on housing and providing for prisoners. According to Prison Legal News (2014), “It is a sort of lose-lose situation for the taxpayer,” said state Senator Dawson Hodgson. “It can amount to torture if you let someone die without healthcare. At the same time, $1 million is a tremendous amount of taxpayer resources, whether it is coming from the state or federal government, put into any person’s healthcare – never mind someone who is a drug dealer and a thief.”

It is my hope that our charter as a country doesn’t cross into an area of immoral treatment. Many prisoners incarcerated today made a bad decision, their incarceration is the punishment. That is where it should stop. For us to use this to justifying taking away their rights to adequate healthcare is improper and verges on cruel and unusual punishment. In short, if they would have had this opportunity outside of incarceration, then they should have this same opportunity while

incarcerated.

As earlier mentioned, I believe we would all be happy to receive an organ from a prisoner if it would save our life or save one of our loved ones lives. That being the case, why wouldn’t they be able to receive the same? After all, they may be someone’s loved one too.