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Ethical issues surrounding organ donation
Arguments about organ donation
Ethical issues surrounding organ donation
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Applying Sociological Perspectives Organ donation is defined as the process of surgically removing an organ or tissue from one person (the organ donor) and placing it into another person (the recipient) (Cleveland Clinic, 2013). Organ donation is a great advance in modern medicine that gives us the capability to save patients with failing organs that would otherwise die. One of the main issues we are faced with when it comes to organ donation is that there is a much higher need for donated organs than there are organ donors (Cleveland Clinic, 2013). When looking at organ donation through the lense of a functional analyst, the institution of health was created to serve many different purposes. The function of health in our society is to provide …show more content…
With a success rate between 80 and 90 percent organ donation has become a reliable and efficient option for people all over the world (LiveOnNy, 2016). The process of organ donation is essential to the institution of health for it to continue to function smoothly and to provide the protection and safety it was designed to create. Organ donation also has many latent functions such as creating jobs for the surgeons and doctors. When analyzing organ donation from the viewpoint of a conflict theorist, organ donation can create many issues and highlight many inequalities seen throughout the world. Unlike functionalists, conflict theorists do not view society as a harmonious whole, they stress that it is composed of many groups that are constantly competing for scarce resources, and there is a constant struggle for power (Henslin, J. M., …show more content…
Although it seems that majority of the problems associated with organ donation are due to the physical lack or organs, there is another contributing factor. Even if there were an unlimited amount of organs available for transplantation, many uninsured and poor patients still couldn 't receive their transplant. These groups of people do not have equal access to post-transplant immunosuppressive medications. These medications are very expensive, so therefore the wealthy and well-insured do have an advantage on the national waiting list, just because they can afford these medications (AMA, 20017). Without having these immunosuppressants, an equal opportunity to live is not guaranteed, even though a patient may receive the new organ. Although seemingly fair and equal, when looked at through the lense of a conflict theorist, organ donation has many problems and
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,
Gregory exposes and informs the audience that there are thousands of people that are dying and suffering as a result of not being able to receive transplants. Persuasively, Gregory is pushing and convincing readers to open their eyes and agree that there should be a legal market in organ selling and that people should be compensated for their donation. The author approaches counterarguments such as the market will not be fair and the differences between a liberalist’s and conservative’s views on organ selling. Liberal claims like “my body, my choice” and the Conservative view of favoring free markets are what is causing controversy to occur. Gregory suggests that these studies “show that this has become a matter of life and death” (p 452, para 12). Overall, Anthony Gregory makes great claims and is successful in defending them. He concludes with “Once again, humanitarianism is best served by the respect for civil liberty, and yet we are deprived both… just to maintain the pretense of state-enforced propriety” (p 453, para 15). In summary, people are deprived of both humanitarianism and civil liberty all because of the false claim of state-enforced behaviors considered to be appropriate or correct. As a result, lives are lost and human welfare is at
In her article, Satel criticizes the current methods governing organ sharing in the United States, and suggests that the government should encourage organ donation, whether it was by providing financial incentives or other compensatory means to the public. Furthermore, the author briefly suggests that the European “presumed consent” system for organ donation might remedy this shortage of organs if implicated in the States.
Organ sales and donation are a controversial topic that many individuals cannot seem to agree upon. However, if someone close; a family member, friend, or someone important in life needed a transplant, would that mindset change? There are over one hundred and nineteen thousand men, women, and children currently waiting on the transplant list, and twenty-two of them die each day waiting for a transplant (Organ, 2015). The numbers do not lie. Something needs to be done to ensure a second chance at life for these individuals. Unfortunately, organ sales are illegal per federal law and deemed immoral. Why is it the government’s choice what individuals do with their own body? Organ sales can be considered an ethical practice when all sides of the story are examined. There are a few meanings to the word ethical in this situation; first, it would boost the supply for the
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
...e identifies the need for improvement not in the distribution of the organs available for transplant, but in the education of policy and regulating agencies on diversity, multiculturalism and ethics that need to be applied prior to approaching the general public and asking them to become organ donors for the good of everyone.
Organ donation is when someone who has died, has previously given permission for their organs to be taken from their body and transplanted into someone else?s who because of some sort of medical condition, can not survive off of their own. At the time of death one?s heart, intestine, kidneys, liver, lung, pancreas, pancreas islet cell, heart valves, bone, skin, corneas, veins, cartilage, and tendons can all be used for transplantation. Choosing to donate organs is beneficial to many people, morally the right thing to do when you pass on and, is also one of the most important ways for survival of many people.
The biggest fear concerning if selling organs should be legalized is that poor or otherwise marginalized populations would be taken advantage of. As there is a high demand for organs and a low supply there will be large incentives for poor populations to sell their organs. Inequality when it comes to gender and race is also a factor worth considering, especially when it comes to altruistic donation. In Schweda and Schicktanz’s study, the German participants speak of living donors having to go through an obligatory psychological evaluation and in this financial pressure could be compared to for example family pressure when it comes to limiting the freedom of decision (Schweda and Schicktanz, 2009:5). These two factors are the most troubling aspects of living donation as they impede individual autonomy.
In this paper I will be using the normative theory of utilitarianism as the best defensible approach to increase organ donations. Utilitarianism is a theory that seeks to increase the greatest good for the greatest amount of people (Pense2007, 61). The utilitarian theory is the best approach because it maximizes adult organ donations (which are the greater good) so that the number of lives saved would increase along with the quality of life, and also saves money and time.
In today's society, organ donation is a common medical procedure that can be used to save or enhance the quality of a person's life. Organ donation is widely accepted medically because of all the benefits it can produce. But, this process has varying opinions of acceptance and rejection when it comes to the diverse religions and cultures that are followed. While many religions do accept the concept of organ donation, there are also many that are opposed to it because the process interferes with their cultural beliefs. In almost all religions found in the U.S., organ donation is approved and supported, but different opinions are found between each individual and they’re religious group (Religion and).
One of the most important and prevalent issues in healthcare discussed nowadays is the concern of the organ donation shortage. As the topic of organ donation shortages continues to be a growing problem, the government and many hospitals are also increasingly trying to find ways to improve the number of organ donations. In the United States alone, at least 6000 patients die each year while on waiting lists for new organs (Petersen & Lippert-Rasmussen, 2011). Although thousands of transplant candidates die from end-stage diseases of vital organs while waiting for a suitable organ, only a fraction of eligible organ donors actually donate. Hence, the stark discrepancy in transplantable organ supply and demand is one of the reasons that exacerbate this organ donation shortage (Parker, Winslade, & Paine, 2002). In the past, many people sought the supply of transplantable organs from cadaver donors. However, when many ethical issues arose about how to determine whether someone is truly dead by either cardiopulmonary or neurological conditions (Tong, 2007), many healthcare professionals and transplant candidates switched their focus on obtaining transplantable organs from living donors instead. As a result, in 2001, the number of living donors surpassed the number of cadaver donors for the first time (Tong, 2007).
Organ donation is a topic which contains many conflicting views. To some of the public population organ
There are two sources of organ donors. The first source is from a living donor. A living donor is usually related to the patients, but in some cases the donor wants to donate to a stranger because they just want to help someone. Close friends and spouses of the patient have also been known to donate their organ. The second source is to remove organs from recently deceased people, if they are marked as an organ donor. The organ procurement organization will then take the organs into custody. In these cases sometimes if the patient is not marked as an organ donor, the families will be contacted to see if they would be willing to donate their family members organs. If the patient cannot readily have an available organ then they will be put on
Every ten minutes someone in need of an organ is added to the national organ transplant waiting list (Unos). The major problem with the transplant list is that it has been growing bigger and bigger every day and there aren’t enough organs to fill the needs of all these people. Although America is one of the most developed countries in the world, we lack organ donation policies. Unlike America and Germany, places like Austria, Finland, Greece, and Spain all have “Opt-out” laws, which helps raise the rate of organ donation drastically (Zúñiga-Fajuri). In recent years there has been a major decline in the amount of organs being donated; this can be blamed on how and where people are “dying” and the fact that they aren’t organ donors (Bryan). In order to
Sadly this is not the case Problems incurred linked to Organ Donation. ------------------------------------------- Sheer lack of donor organs Ladies and gentlemen, the facts speak for themselves.