Capella University
PHI-FPX3200: Ethics in Health Care
Dr. Ginger Raya
August 1, 2023
Robbing the Dead: Is Organ Conscription Ethical?
Organ donation is a growing area in most countries. The process has undoubted gains and can save millions of people. However, organ donation raises moral questions based on the implications of taking organs from deceased people who do not refuse the procedure during their life. This paper addresses moral concerns surrounding policies on organ conscription. The discussion captures strategies for improving public acceptance of the process based on fairness and justice.
Moral Concerns Involving Donor Conscription
Organ shortage triggers underground illicit transactions. The crisis triggers an increase in the number of organ brokers who take advantage of illegal surgeries for economic gains. A significant population of patients on organ waiting list choose alternative and illegal means of accessing organs due to their fear of dying. The opt-in system requires informed consent from donors and family members before removing an organ and giving it to a recipient (Etheredge, 2021). One moral concern about organ conscription is the likelihood of bypassing consent. In this case, the process entails securing an organ from a deceased and providing it to chronically ill patient. On the other hand, proponents of the policy support the need to overcome organ shortage crisis by extracting organs from the deceased to save lives of thousands on the waiting list (Etheredge, 2021). While it is crucial to address the shortage, conscription violates one’s autonomy. The policy also undermines the need to uphold the dignity of a deceased’s body.
Questions about the Fairness and Justness of Organ Conscription Policy
Organ conscription is a promising option to address a country’s organ shortage. The number of individuals on national organ transplant list keeps increasing. Equally, there are multiple deaths recorded every day for individuals waiting for an organ to be available. Conscription is unfair and unjust due to the failure to accommodate the principle of informed consent of a deceased person. The policy may also deny family members the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process, including disallowing repossession of organs (Etheredge, 2021). As such, failure to ask the permission of the deceased and non-acceptance of refusal undermine individuals’ freedom of choice. Thus, the government should consider educating the public about the need for conscription and efforts adopted to uphold the dignity of a deceased person.
PHI-FPX3200 STUDY NURSE
The Relevance and Significance of Consent as it Pertains to Organ Donation
The autonomy principle indicates that individuals have the capacity to make objective decisions. The absence of consent undermines moral obligations because it denies individuals the freedom to make independent choices. Organ conscription may involve an implied consent, which means that the stakeholders make a presumption about a deceased consent (Vanholder et al., 2021). However, such situations contradict the need for trustworthy physician-patient relationship. The implied consent triggers resentment due to the disregard for individuals’ values and preferences.
Alternative Policies for Increasing Available Donor Organs
Alternatives for increasing available donor organs should focus more on public policy and regulatory changes. The message to the public is inadequate, which reveals the need for awareness programs to ensure that more people remember their commitment to supporting organ donation (Etheredge, 2021). The message should make individuals aware of the fact that organ shortage is a health crisis, the body is a unique source of health for everyone, and organ donation is about sharing life. Collaboration between education institutions, researchers, and organ sharing firms is necessary to improve social behavior toward organ donation. Financial incentives may also facilitate organ donation (Levy, 2018). Ethical compensation reflect concern for patients and the efforts to save lives. Expanding donors through presumed consent and financial incentives may encourage more potential donors to embrace efforts to save millions from premature death (Parada‑Contzen & Vásquez‑Lavín, 2019). The process may involve including donors with suboptimal organs, including old donors and individuals with hepatitis C. Advancements in the treatment of various conditions call for changes in acceptance criteria for donors.
Conclusion
An increasing number of patients in the waiting list and organ shortages shows the need for alternatives to increase available donor organs. Advances in medical practices and policies should generate new incentives and programs that modify society’s attitudes toward organ donation.
References
Etheredge, H. R. (2021). Assessing global organ donation policies: Opt-in vs opt-out. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 14, 1985-1998. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8128443/pdf/rmhp-14-1985.pdf
Levy, M. (2018). State incentives to promote organ donation: Honoring the principles of reciprocity and solidarity inherent in the gift relationship. Journal of Law and the Biosciences, 5(2), 398-435. https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsy009
Parada‑Contzen, M., & Vásquez‑Lavín, F. (2019). An analysis of economic incentives to encourage organ donation: Evidence from Chile. Latin American Economic Review, 28(6), 1-16. https://latinaer.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s40503-019-0068-2.pdf
Vanholder, R., Domínguez- Gil, B., Busic, M., Cortez-Pinto, H., Craig, J., Jager, K., Mahillo, B., Stel, V., Valentin, M., Zoccali, C., & Oniscu, G. (2021). Organ donation and transplantation: A multi-stakeholder call to action. Nephrology, 17, 555-568. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41581-021-00425-3.pdf