Organ Donation: Deontology And Utilitarianism
Organ Donation
If you could get the chance to see or possibly provide a miracle on a day-to-day basis, would you be willing? As a nurse, I witness people being given another chance at life via organ donation. Donating organs has not always been an argument until people realized that some of the donors were not actually dead. For instance, we have the” Dead Donor Rule” which in simpler terms means the patient must be dead before any removal of organs can done (Sade, Brain Dead). Due to this rule, a great controversy has been created between the people and the surgeons because people started to realize that some surgeons were killing their own patients in order to harvest their organs. Considering that organ donation is a current ethical issue, it can be discussed between Deontology and Utilitarianism. In Utilitarianism, people believe in using people for a means to an end, which brings about a greater good for the greater amount of people (Shafer-Landau, pg.122). Killing someone who is brain dead, can save multiple lives who actually could have a quality of life. However, Deontology disagrees with that logic and beliefs, they believe that one should act on moral duties and do the right thing because it is their obligations (Shafer-Landau, pg171). For instance, the fact that killing someone for their organs to benefit another is …show more content…
Throughout this paper, I will demonstrate how I am in favor of a utilitarian’s stance on organ donation, arguing that the results of saving others justify the killing of people who have been
If you could get the chance to see or possibly provide a miracle on a day-to-day basis, would you be willing? As a nurse, I witness people being given another chance at life via organ donation. Donating organs has not always been an argument until people realized that some of the donors were not actually dead. For instance, we have the” Dead Donor Rule” which in simpler terms means the patient must be dead before any removal of organs can done (Sade, Brain Dead). Due to this rule, a great controversy has been created between the people and the surgeons because people started to realize that some surgeons were killing their own patients in order to harvest their organs. Considering that organ donation is a current ethical issue, it can be discussed between Deontology and Utilitarianism. In Utilitarianism, people believe in using people for a means to an end, which brings about a greater good for the greater amount of people (Shafer-Landau, pg.122). Killing someone who is brain dead, can save multiple lives who actually could have a quality of life. However, Deontology disagrees with that logic and beliefs, they believe that one should act on moral duties and do the right thing because it is their obligations (Shafer-Landau, pg171). For instance, the fact that killing someone for their organs to benefit another is …show more content…
Throughout this paper, I will demonstrate how I am in favor of a utilitarian’s stance on organ donation, arguing that the results of saving others justify the killing of people who have been