Organ Donation Ethical Dilemmas
Abstract
Organ transplant saves many lives, but there are many ethical and moral issues involved in organ transplant. Some of the issues ethical issues involved in transplantation include who gets the organs, how many organs each patient gets, and how patients move up on the transplant list. There is a shortage of organs available for transplant in regard to the number of patients that need organ transplantation. Would compensation for the organs donated increase the number of people willing to donate? Compensation or incentives for donating organs is an ethical dilemma itself. Many of them will always exist. There are many people involved in deciding who receives organs and who is not eligible to receive organs. Human nature will always …show more content…
Many factors play a role in decisions being made and many people are involved with each decision being made. The people involved in making decisions include the doctor, the patient, the transplant coordinator, the social worker, and the nurse. With the shortage of organs, comes the idea of if there should be an incentive to donating organs. Is it ethical to give a monetary value to organs? According to the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, there was a study done at six Department of Motor Vehicles in which it was observed that compensation in various amounts would increase organ donors. There were different types of compensation and incentives as well as whom the organs would be available for (family, friends, and strangers). (The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, 2014). People would most likely be more willing to donate their organs if they were provided some type of compensation, but is this ethical? What if people want to donate but their organs are not viable for donation? Another issue that arises is the idea that people will take the money for donating, but then when it comes time to donate they might back …show more content…
I believe that every patient should have the same chance at receiving an organ or organs and that involves everyone involved in making the decisions. It is up to the doctors, nurses, social workers, and transplant coordinators to make sure the whole transplant process is ethically sound. I feel like because we are human there will always be people that are always going to be unethical. I do not think it is ethical to move patients up on the list for the mere benefit that their patient receives the transplant, but if that patient is truly at that point where they need to move up on the list, they should move up. For example, I do not think it is ethical for patients to be on a Milrinone drip while awaiting a heart transplant just so they can move up on the transplant list. If they truly need the Milrinone to help their heart then that is a morally sound argument, but if they are just on Milrinone to move up on the list, that is not ethical. As a bedside nurse I will be able to see organ transplant first hand. According to Ellen Beal, there is an attitude among nurses regarding transplant in which they are less likely to donate their or their family members organs. This could possibly be attributed to the idea that they are the ones at the bedside seeing organs and blood products wasted on patients that do not have good prognosis. (Beal,
Organ transplant saves many lives, but there are many ethical and moral issues involved in organ transplant. Some of the issues ethical issues involved in transplantation include who gets the organs, how many organs each patient gets, and how patients move up on the transplant list. There is a shortage of organs available for transplant in regard to the number of patients that need organ transplantation. Would compensation for the organs donated increase the number of people willing to donate? Compensation or incentives for donating organs is an ethical dilemma itself. Many of them will always exist. There are many people involved in deciding who receives organs and who is not eligible to receive organs. Human nature will always …show more content…
Many factors play a role in decisions being made and many people are involved with each decision being made. The people involved in making decisions include the doctor, the patient, the transplant coordinator, the social worker, and the nurse. With the shortage of organs, comes the idea of if there should be an incentive to donating organs. Is it ethical to give a monetary value to organs? According to the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, there was a study done at six Department of Motor Vehicles in which it was observed that compensation in various amounts would increase organ donors. There were different types of compensation and incentives as well as whom the organs would be available for (family, friends, and strangers). (The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, 2014). People would most likely be more willing to donate their organs if they were provided some type of compensation, but is this ethical? What if people want to donate but their organs are not viable for donation? Another issue that arises is the idea that people will take the money for donating, but then when it comes time to donate they might back …show more content…
I believe that every patient should have the same chance at receiving an organ or organs and that involves everyone involved in making the decisions. It is up to the doctors, nurses, social workers, and transplant coordinators to make sure the whole transplant process is ethically sound. I feel like because we are human there will always be people that are always going to be unethical. I do not think it is ethical to move patients up on the list for the mere benefit that their patient receives the transplant, but if that patient is truly at that point where they need to move up on the list, they should move up. For example, I do not think it is ethical for patients to be on a Milrinone drip while awaiting a heart transplant just so they can move up on the transplant list. If they truly need the Milrinone to help their heart then that is a morally sound argument, but if they are just on Milrinone to move up on the list, that is not ethical. As a bedside nurse I will be able to see organ transplant first hand. According to Ellen Beal, there is an attitude among nurses regarding transplant in which they are less likely to donate their or their family members organs. This could possibly be attributed to the idea that they are the ones at the bedside seeing organs and blood products wasted on patients that do not have good prognosis. (Beal,