Posted on 05/12/2010 4:55:37 AM PDT by markomalley
ABSTRACT
There are not enough solid organs available to meet the needs of patients with organ failure. Thousands of patients every year die on the waiting lists for transplantation. Yet there is one currently available, underutilized, potential source of organs. Many patients die in intensive care following withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment whose organs could be used to save the lives of others. At present the majority of these organs go to waste.
In this paper we consider and evaluate a range of ways to improve the number and quality of organs available from this group of patients. Changes to consent arrangements (for example conscription of organs after death) or changes to organ donation practice could dramatically increase the numbers of organs available, though they would conflict with currently accepted norms governing transplantation.
We argue that one alternative, Organ Donation Euthanasia, would be a rational improvement over current practice regarding withdrawal of life support. It would give individuals the greatest chance of being able to help others with their organs after death. It would increase patient autonomy. It would reduce the chance of suffering during the dying process. We argue that patients should be given the choice of whether and how they would like to donate their organs in the event of withdrawal of life support in intensive care.
Continuing current transplantation practice comes at the cost of death and prolonged organ failure. We should seriously consider all of the alternatives.
(Excerpt) Read more at 3.interscience.wiley.com ...
You two might be interested in this for your ping list
But there is another more radical way to increase the supply of organs. We could abandon the dead donor rule. We could for example, allow organs to be taken from people who are not brain dead, but who have suffered such severe injury that they would be permanently unconscious, like Terry Schiavo, who would be allowed to die anyway by removal of their medical treatment.
Freepmail wagglebee to subscribe or unsubscribe from the moral absolutes ping list.
FreeRepublic moral absolutes keyword search
The only ones needing to be put down are the sick Romanian bastards who posit this dung.
Lamh Foistenach Abu!
Depends. For Democrat politicians, DEFINITELY!
Would you want to know that you received a vital organ that was from a Democrat? ;-D
So liberal logic is that organs that die with their owners go to “waste”, but fetal lives that are snuffed by chioce are discarded tissue
Seems to me “choice” is “choice” when it comes to who does what with an individual’s body
Why don’t we just outsource organs to communist China?
They’ll just shoot a political prisoner in the head on demand.
I hate when something as generous as organ donation is taken too far. If you want to donate an organ, have at it—but please do not speed up my delivery.
I would rather be the “cable company” of organ donation: I will deliver it sometime between 50 and 100 years....”
The justification for this point of view is nothing new. It surfaced on a grand scale at certain “Medical Labs” in Europe. They were located at places like Ravensbruk, Treblinka, Sobibor, Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Terezan, and many, many others. Personally I’d believed that those people had (happily) left this earth. Guess not.
Answer to Title of Article.
A resounding NO!
maybe we should start thinking of patients as patients rather than potential orgen sources?
that said, I have no objections to decisions best left between families and physicians.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.