Live Organ Donation

When is it ethical to harvest organs?

By Amber Akbik, Allison Cates, Brittanee Potts, and Desiree Zullick

Organ Donation• Organ donation is the donation of biological tissue or

an organ of the human body, from a living or dead person to a living recipient in need of a transplantation. Transplantable organs and tissues are removed in a surgical procedure following a determination, based on the donor's medical and social history, of which are suitable for transplantation 

• Although there have been advances in medical technology and donation, the demand for organ donation still vastly exceeds the number of donors.

• Every 10 minutes a name is added to the national organ transplant waiting list.

• An average of 18 people die each day from the lack of available organs for transplant.

• Most donated organs come from people who die while on a ventilator in an intensive care unit following a severe head or brain injury, a major accident such as a car crash, or a stroke.

Organ Donation• Most donated organs come from people who die

while on a ventilator in an intensive care unit following a severe head or brain injury, a major accident such as a car crash, or a stroke.

• Because organs have to be transplanted very soon after the donor has died, they can only be donated by people who have died in hospital. Healthcare professionals will make the decision about whether organs and tissue are suitable for transplant, taking into account your medical history.

• One person can help as many as eight people by donating their organs.

• You can join the NHS Organ Donor Register at any age.

Organ Donation• While 90% of people say they support organ

donation, only 27% have actually joined the NHS Organ Donor Register.

• Of the 2.2 million people who die in America each year, relatively few die under circumstances that make them medically eligible to be either organ donors or tissue donors.

• Most deceased organ donors are brain dead. They have suffered complete and irreversible loss of all brain function and are clinically and legally dead. Mechanical ventilation and medications keeps their heart beating and blood flowing to their organs.

Case 1• Garry Phebus

suffers from ALS, and has come to the conclusion that he would rather die by donating his healthy organs rather than by suffering from the disease.

Lou Gehrig's disease or (ALS) amyotrophic

lateral sclerosis• In ALS, nerve cells (neurons) waste away or

die, and can no longer send messages to muscles. This eventually leads to muscle weakening, twitching, and an inability to move the arms, legs, and body. The condition slowly gets worse. When the muscles in the chest area stop working, it becomes hard or impossible to breathe on one's own.

Garry Phebus• Medical professionals refuse to allow him to

donate his organs, because they see it as unethical since it would be considered homicide.

• Garry uses examples of dying for others such as police officers, firefighters, and soldiers to justify his reasoning of donating his organs.

• He feels as if he has already been issued a death sentence from the disease so he might as well put his organs to good use.

The Verdict• Mr. Phebus is terminally ill and is suffering

while dying.• His organs are in good condition for someone

else who is suffering and needs them for a chance at life.

• Mr. Phebus has come to these conclusions of wanting to die for others without pressure from others.

• He should be able to make his own decision; therefore, donating his healthy organs even though resulting in death, is not necessarily immoral.

Case 2

Anencephaly• Anencephaly is a birth defect in which a baby is born without a scalp, brain hemispheres, meninges, and without a cerebellum. The only part of the brain the baby is born with is the brain stem. • Babies usually do not live more than a day.

Gracie• Gracie was born with anencephaly and her

mom wanted to feel as if Gracie was still in the world somewhere even though she had died so the family opted to donate some of Gracie’s organs.

• Gracie’s liver cells and heart valve were planned to be donated. In the end only the liver cells were used. The heart valve and liver cells can be used up to 4 hours after death between when they are harvested and put into someone else’s body.

The Verdict• In a case such as anencephaly, a child has no

chance of living more than a few days• We think that the family should be able to

donate the organs that can be donated from an infant.

• This isn’t killing the baby because he or she is already dying.

• It can help other sick children and can give the parents a feeling of purpose for their lost child

Case 3Seven Pounds

• Tim Thomas causes a car accident while texting and driving which kills seven people.

• Seeking redemption he sets out to save the lives of seven good people.

Live Donations• Tim donates a lung lobe to his brother.• He donates part of his liver to a child services

worker.• He donates a kidney to a junior hockey coach.• He donates bone marrow to a young boy

named Nicholas.• He gives his house to a woman in an abusive

relationship as long as she promises to leave her boyfriend.

Donations By Suicide• He moves into a hotel

taking with him his pet box jellyfish.

• He decides it is time to make his final donations.

• He fills the bathtub with ice water to preserve his vital organs, climbs in, and commits suicide by putting his pet box jellyfish in the water with him.

• He donates his corneas to a blind man who plays the piano.

• He donates his heart to Emily, a girl with a heart condition and a rare blood type.

The Verdict• We don’t believe that it is okay to kill a health

person and harvest their organs.• We don’t believe that it is okay to commit

suicide or to participate in physician assisted suicide in hopes of donating organs.

• If someone does commit suicide and leaves in their will that they want to donate organs, then we think that the organs should be used for transplants.

References• http://www.organdonor.gov/index.html• http

://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001708/

• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001708/

• http://www.anencephalie-info.org/e/gracie.php• http://www.anencephalie-info.org/e/faq.php#1• http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814314/