Organ Donation: Saving Lives and Tackling Shortages

Organ donation is a key role in saving thousands of American lives. Without donation hundreds of people would die from improperly functioning or failing organs not strong enough to keep them alive. Organ donation is the process of giving an organ or a part of an organ for the purpose of transplantation into another person. Organs can be donated from both living and deceased donors, and can be donated from all ages. Unfortunately not all Americans are aware of organ donation and out of the ones that are, several are uncomfortable with donating for several reasons. This is causing organ shortages not just in the US, but all over the world. These shortages have led to the voluntary selling of one’s own organs, otherwise known as Organ Trafficking.

Though it isn’t an immediate fix, “advances in bioengineering may eventually shrink the organ gap, allowing surgeons to transplant organs engineered from a patient’s own stem cells. But for complex organs such as lungs and kidneys, that goal is probably decades away” (Mantel 337). Stem cell research is a growing industry many have become involved in, and the rates at which people could be saved is amazing. However, it takes time to get to those results, so in the meantime bioengineers have been looking into and experimenting with xenotransplantation; otherwise known as the transplantation of animal organs into humans. Many find this inhumane and animal abuse, but many argue that wouldn’t having children for their “spare parts” be considered inhumane also? The use of animal organs or parts of animal organs seems to be a considerably reliable alternative to doing things illegally. Darian Corner, a student of Sam Houston State University told me her opinions on the use of animal organs in humans and this is what she had to say: “I believe it is a great idea! My niece Ashtyn has a heart defect and two complete arteries and two incomplete arteries at the top of her heart, causing severe lack of blood flow throughout her body. The doctors used a cow vein in replace of a human artery in order to reconstruct it her heart to where she has three complete arteries supplying blood to her body. Her heart is now strong and fully functional, however as she grows she will have to go back in and have the vein exchanged for a larger one, but it saved her life and for that I am extremely thankful.” Its stories like this that makes it hard to believe that more people aren’t supportive of xenotransplantation. Though much more research needs to be done, stem cells, xenotransplantation, and living donors can