INDIVIDUAL PAPER WORK SUBMISSION (GROUP 7)

SUBJECT: SOCIAL CHRISTAIN ETHICS

TOPIC: DONATION OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGAN:
ETHICAL ISSUES ON THE DONATION OF ORGAN

SUBMITTED TO DR. ASANGLA PAUL

SUBMITTED BY JESSICA R MARAK
DATE: 20/8/2016

Ethical Issues: Donations of Organ

There is the large number of organ donation which has been taken place all over the world. It
can involve some danger. The decision whether or not to donate organs or tissues for
transplantation is an ethical or moral decision, which expresses a view about how best to live for
his or her life. It has to do with the concerned of our individual, our free will and by taking a
wise decision.
1. Donation of an organ from the dead person: It should be determined that the person is
dead. Organ cannot be used for transplant unless it is taken out from the body
immediately after death. At the one time, the line between life and death is drawn:
Cessation of the heart beat is considered as death. But now the heart can be revived or
restart through artificial means and other. Thus there came a new way of determining
death, i.e., through brain death including the brain stem. However, it is also not
satisfactory, in the sense, although the brain is considered as death it is found that the
other vital organs continue to function. In this case determining of the death cannot be
ascertained to continue with the organ donation. The criteria that have been accepted to
determine the death person are those stated in 1981 by the presidents commission for the
study of ethical problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research: An
Individual who has sustained either 1. Irreversible cessation of circulatory or respiratory
functions, or 2. Irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the
brainstem, is dead1.
2. Donation of an organ from the Living person: Each of the living organ donations has
to involve in asking the ethical question, because the treatment that is going to be done, it
will effect not only the people in need of organ transplant but also the healthy person who
volunteer to donate. Living donors operation or surgery that does not be helpful for them
may cause even harm. So they should understand first that the donation may affect their
physical health and their mental wellbeing. The changes of their being might take place
after the donation according to the type organ they donate. Thus the person offering to be
a live organ donor must be psychologically stable, freely willing to donate, free from any
coercion, fully informed of the risk and benefits, fully informed of the effectiveness of
current treatment options available to the recipients2. This means that the decision to
donate should be a selfless act, making pure decision that it will improve the quality of
life of a fellow human being without any expectation of reward.
3. Who has the right to decide for organs transplant or donation: So far, donating
organs are focusing on making a decision for oneself, a person make a decision when he
is still living. For such circumstances, it is right to remove organs from the body that are
1 Roger H. Crook, An Introduction to Christian Ethics,(USA: Prentice-Hall Inc,1999).
Pg.146-149.
2 http://www.odatwa.org.au/living-donors/live-donation---ethical-issues accessed on
19/8/2016 at 2:25pm.

making such will. For such traumatic situation like the events accident, their body is
healthy and is ideal candidates for the organ transplants. At presents, the question arises
do it is right to remove the organs from another person who does not have an approval?
Or is it right to waste the organ that could save the life of another person? Thus, it is the
relative of the dead person who will make the decision, because they are the one who
have an emotional involvement with the deceased person. The person has to check the
overall health, whether you have a problem with your health or not like high blood
pressure or diabetes especially regarding donating kidneys and others. It has to look at
many issues, either your donation of your organ and the decision that you make might
affect yourself, the family member, spouse, children
4. A person affected by the recipient of an organ: Nobody has a claim on organs or tissue
of any person, living or dead. It should be an honor to receive the organ from the donor to
the sick people. Another moral issue involves the recipient is free and informed consent
from donor, relatives of a deceased donor. A competent person who could benefit from
receiving a transplant should be adequately informed regarding the expected benefits,
risks, burdens and costs of the transplant and after care, and of other possible alternatives.
So should the guardian of an incompetent person. The incompetent person should be
capable of making a decision should be informed in an appropriate way. Potential
recipients and there family can be tempted to pressure, blackmail or bribe a potential
living donor to donate or a health care professional to give them a privileged position on
the waiting list. Such practices are unethical because they fail to properly respect the
freedom of the donor, or they violate other potential recipients rights regarding access.
Recipients should also avoid any unethical cooperation in any abuses that are sometimes
associated with transplantation3.
The question might be more difficult when we ask whether it is the duty of one person to
make that sacrifice for another. This extraordinary action that has to do with another person who
is related and are prospects for the successful transplant are greater, mean that we are obligatory
for the sacrifice? Or does the existence of a family connection put undue pressure on us to donate
the organ? Thus how can we balance the need of the patients with the need of the other people
who depend on us? And if the pressure is being put to us to donate the organ from the related
patients, how free are we to say no? These questions cannot be answered in terms of a
generalized duty. Each perspective donor, in the final analysis, must make an independent and
unique decision.4
Organ for sale
3 Paul Flaman, Organ and Tissue Transplants: Some ethical issues,
ttps://sites.ualberta.ca/~pflaman/organtr.htm accessed on 19/8/2016 at 9:35pm.
4 Roger H. Crook, An Introduction to Christian ethics, (USA: Prentice-Hall Inc.,
1999).pg. 150.

Bibliography
Crook, Roger H. An Introduction to Christian ethics. USA: Prentice-Hall Inc.,1999.

Webliography
http://www.odatwa.org.au/living-donors/live-donation---ethical-issues
Flaman,
Paul
Organ
and
Tissue
Transplants:
ttps://sites.ualberta.ca/~pflaman/organtr.htm

Some

ethical

issues,