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... loved ones organs away without asking. But statistics shows, when hospitals ask for the organs, the majority of the people say no. So how else are we going to get more organs? I would have not have a problem with a hospital grabbing a few organs from a family member without asking, just as long as they didnt take so much that there couldnt be an open casket funeral.
I would also not have a problem if the hospital took my entire body and divided it up into dozens of pieces. That would actually make me happy, because I know that my organs could give a second chance to dozens of people. Imagine yourself in a situation where you, a family member, or a close friend needs an organ transplant or you / them will die. Suppose your child wakes up one morning complaining of a bad stomachache.
You dont think anything of it, because people get have stomachaches all the time. But after four days, you get concerned and decide to take your child to the hospital. The hospital runs tests, and finds out that your child has an infected intestine. The doctor tells you that your child must have a transplant, or they will die in two weeks. Because the supply of organs is extremely low, the chances of your child finding a liver that is a perfect match is next to nothing. What do you do?
There is nothing you can do. You are completely helpless. One of the worst things a parent can experience is the death of a child. Your hopes are raised, when after a week, the hospital informs you that they have found an intestine from a 20 -year old man that was killed in a motorcycle accident.
Your child is immediately taken into the operating room. After 10 hours of torturous waiting, the doctor comes to the waiting room and tells you that the surgery went well. You are ecstatic. You drop to your needs and begin to weep uncontrollably for your child has been given a second chance. You think for a moment how wonderful it was that the man whom was killed in the accident declared on his motorcycle license that he wanted to be an organ donor, but that thought quickly escapes your mind because you are just so happy that your child is still alive. However, one week after the surgery, your childs body rejects the intestine, and dies.
Now imagine you are the one who is in desperate need of a transplant. Suppose you live in the inner city of Philadelphia. You are walking to the market that is right around the corner from your house to buy groceries. You live in a bad part of town.
On your way to the market, you get caught in gunfire and a bullet penetrates your stomach. You are rushed to the hospital, and after surgery, the doctor tells you that they were not able to save your stomach. The doctor informs you that you can live for 5 days without a stomach, but if they cant find one, you will die. Can you picture what that must be like? I can only imagine. I will never be able to fully understand how terrible it must be to go through either one of the above situations until I am in a situation like that myself.
It doesnt sound like anything I ever want to experience. Organ donation is a wonderful thing. Most people, when asked about organ donation, will respond that they would be glad to donate their organs after they die. Even most of the religious leaders of the world seem to think that organ donation is great. But the bottom line is, nobody is actually going through with it. We have tried to educate the public, we have tried to get people to voluntarily sign donor cards, but it just isnt working.
We have also had hospitals talk to family members after a death of a loved one, but that isnt working either. The presumed consent law might sound terrible like a terrible, heartless act, but how else are we going to help people in need of transplants. I would be willing to bet, that if a law like this were passed, and people would see the difference it would make in saving lives, the majority of them would no longer have a problem with it. It is unfair that people have to die, but it is even more unfair when somebody dies who needs a new liver through no fault of their own, and an alcoholic who has boozed their life away, takes that liver and lives. Who in their sober right mind would call that fair? Who has the right to judge which people die or not?
You and I are not some god-like figure, so we dont have the right to do that. (Rosner, p. 554) I would completely agree with these critics about nobody have the right to judge other people, but the waiting lists are not judging anybody. By choosing to participate in certain activities, or not, people are ultimately deciding their own placement on these lists. They arent be judged by anybody, just categorized by their lifestyles. In other words, people would simply be taking responsibility for their actions. If one chooses to consume large amounts of alcoholic beverages every night until they need a new liver, then that is their own choice, and they should pay the consequences for it. If it means death, so be it.
They had their chance with life, and they chose to drink it away. Next please. Why should they be offered a second chance when they blew their first one, and would be taking away from somebody else? People who have a disease they are born with have no control over their unfortunate situation, and therefore there is no reason why they shouldnt be given a shot at life, just like everybody else. That is fair. Some could also feel that these lists would be racist or discriminate against poor people, because wealthier white people would be able to pay a good attorney to keep them out of prison, or pay for rehab, etc.
Our current system already favors wealthier citizens, perhaps even more than the lists would. We have to place faith in our justice system, and hope that the guilty will be convicted; regardless of how much money they have in the bank. There would be no racism involved in the lists at all. (Sade, p. 238) Where would a white have an advantage over a black, or a black over a white? None of the qualifications for a certain classification have anything to do with skin color. These concerns would simply not be an issue if organs were in sufficient supply. The only true solution to the problem is to increase the supply of organs.
People need to be educated about the proper procedure for organ donation, and need to be clued-up on the fact that organs are in such high demand, and that there are not enough to go around. For example, some people dont know that you have to alert your next of kin to your wishes about donation, and as a result, a lot of potential donors dont end up donating. There has also been talk of some sort of financial incentive, maybe in the form a funeral credit, to help encourage donation. Our current system of organ distribution is inefficient, and can be changed to make things more effective by implementing The three list policy. (Rosner, p. 557) People would be classified into one of three lists; primary, secondary, and tertiary. The secondary list would include people who need a transplant through some fault of their own (such as alcohol or drug abuse), and people who will be bed ridden after their transplant couldnt continue with their normal life functions. The tertiary list should include people who have been convicted and sentenced to life in prison, and those who have a terminally ill disease, such as some forms of cancer, or HIV/AIDS.
This leaves everybody else on the primary list, which is the first list to be looked at, and satisfied. Once all the people on the primary list receive their organs the secondary list can be looked at, and so on. This ensures that the organs are being utilized to their maximum potential. With medical advances, people can be kept alive longer while waiting for a transplant. Organs are better matched to recipients and new techniques and drugs make rejection less of a concern than in the past. The waiting list for organs is only going to keep growing, and we need to do something about it, or watch our fellow Americans die while waiting for organs.
People need to be educated about donation, incentives to donate should be offered, and the three list system can help maximize the distribution of organs until the supply meets the demand. Words Count: 3, 178. Bibliography: Barzizza KC. Ethical questions in organ transplantation still not answered. AORN Journal, 1990; 52 (5): 1076 - 1079. Bell NK.
Ethical considerations and controversies in transplantation Journal - South Carolina Medical Association 1990; 87 (6): 336 - 339. Foil MB. Transplantation and the trauma surgeon Journal of the National Medical Association 1990; 82 (11): 769 - 771. Gill M, Sade RM, Payment for Kidneys: The Case for Repealing Prohibition. Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 2002; 12 (1): 17 - 46 Gozzetti G. Is living donation still justifiable?
Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation 1993; 5 (6): 407 - 409. Rosner F. The allocation of scarce medical resources New York State Journal of Medicine 1990; 90 (11): 552 - 558. Sade R.
M. Medicine and Managed Care, Morals and Markets. (2002). In Bondeson WB and Jones JW, ed. , The Ethics of Managed Care: Professional Integrity and Patient Rights. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, pp 55 - 74. Sade RM, Williams T, Haney C, Perlman D, Stroud M.
The Ethics Gap in Surgery. Ann Thorac Surg 2000; 69 (2): 326 - 29. Sade RM. Gene Therapy: Ethical and Social Issues.
J So Carolina Med Assoc 1998; 94 (9): 406 - 410. Sordillo PP. The allocation of scarce medical resources New York State Journal of Medicine 1990; 90 (11): 552 - 558.
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Research essay sample on Organ Donation Second Chance
