Ethical And Legal Aspects On Organ Transplantation Essay -- Organ Dona

Ethical And Legal Aspects On Organ Transplantation Recent reports of public figures receiving life-saving transplants have brought renewed attention to the scarcity of organs and the importance of organ transplants. Although more transplants are being performed in the United States each year the transplant waiting list continues to grow. It has been considered that the decrease in organ donors is due to the unsuccessful measures taken by health care professionals. This is a limited view of the matter because health care professionals are not directly responsible for the policies and other guidelines for procuring organs. The general population does not have the interest of suffering individuals at heart when it comes to donation. Instead, the interest lies with respecting individual autonomy and dead bodies. I strongly believe that the attention needs to focus on the next-of-kin or health care proxies communication with an individual who wants to be a donor. Health care proxies are designated individuals who speak on one's behalf, an d agree to put forward the type of medical intervention one wishes to have when one is no longer able to speak for oneself. The focus of public policy related to organ donation has been solely on the individual donor and recipient. However, there is a dire need to analyze and recommend changes to some of the current guidelines. For example, one of major reasons for the decrease in organ donation is the next-of-kin's ability to override the decision to donate. Secondly, current policies for distributing organs favor a pattern least likely to save lives: The allocation guidelines give top priority to the sickest patients regardless of their prognosis. I interpret the allocation guidelines as som... ...iteria for Evaluating Potentail Transplant Recipient Vary Among Centers." JAMA 269 (1993): 3091-3094. "Organ Donation: Social and Cultural Issues." Nursing Standards 41 (1995): 25-29. "Legal Framework for Organ Donation and Transplantation." Nursing Clinic of North America 24 (1989): 837-849. The Partnership for Organ Donation. "Hospitals Can Do More to Increase Donation." http://www.transweb.org/partnership/press.html ubc. (March 1996). The Public Health and Welfare, Chp. 7, subchapter 11, part A of 1986, 42 U.S.C.A. Section 1320b-9. University of Chicago Hospital's Policy. "UCH Organ and Tissue Donation Policy." http://www.hooked.net/users/chartsf/txp/txphome. htm # chrono. (27 Feb. 1996) Yale Biomedical Text. "Organ Trafficking Perspective from UNOS." http://www.info.med.yale.edu:70/11/disciplines/disciplines/transplant.htm (5 Aug. 1995).