Ethical Issues about Organ Donation
Natalie Aranda asked:
Organ donation has resulted from the advances in medical techniques that have made it a very viable choice. When the technology did not exist, it was not an issue. Today, an average of 74 people per day receive a life saving organ transplant, but at the same time, an average of 19 people die each day waiting for a transplant that never comes. The entire issue has raised serious ethical concerns and the debate over them rages unabated. As further advances are made in such areas as cloning, the ethical debate should grow more intense.
The ethical questions are complicated by an outgoing debate over the definitions of certain key terms such as life, death, human, and body. One example is the definition of the idea of brain dead. People have been confused over the issue because of the highly public cases of people recovering from comas even after many years. The distinction between the idea of brain dead and comatose becomes a matter that must be clearly defined. A family that is asked to donate body to science of a brain dead relative must be confident that there is no hope of recovering.
Other ethical issues of organ donation are considered bioethical. One important one is the idea of cloning. The technology that would allow the cloning of genetically matched clones for the purpose of body harvesting exists already. A recent science fiction movie addressed this exact issue. It told of human beings cloned and held in captivity until their organs were needed at which time they were killed and their organs harvested. This type of body donation is what many fear if cloning for the purpose of organ donation is ever allowed.
Another issue often raised has more to do with the economic exploitation of the donors. It is a common perception that the donors are poor and the ones receiving the organs are rich. This raises fear of an organ black market. In some places, such as the Indian subcontinent and Africa this has already become a concern. Another issue is known as xenotransplantation which involves the harvesting of certain compatible animal organs for use in humans. A whole new plethora of ethical issues surround this idea. Even animal rights groups have joined in this debate. There is no question that body donation and organ donation will remain a hot topic for many years to come.
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Organ donation has resulted from the advances in medical techniques that have made it a very viable choice. When the technology did not exist, it was not an issue. Today, an average of 74 people per day receive a life saving organ transplant, but at the same time, an average of 19 people die each day waiting for a transplant that never comes. The entire issue has raised serious ethical concerns and the debate over them rages unabated. As further advances are made in such areas as cloning, the ethical debate should grow more intense.
The ethical questions are complicated by an outgoing debate over the definitions of certain key terms such as life, death, human, and body. One example is the definition of the idea of brain dead. People have been confused over the issue because of the highly public cases of people recovering from comas even after many years. The distinction between the idea of brain dead and comatose becomes a matter that must be clearly defined. A family that is asked to donate body to science of a brain dead relative must be confident that there is no hope of recovering.
Other ethical issues of organ donation are considered bioethical. One important one is the idea of cloning. The technology that would allow the cloning of genetically matched clones for the purpose of body harvesting exists already. A recent science fiction movie addressed this exact issue. It told of human beings cloned and held in captivity until their organs were needed at which time they were killed and their organs harvested. This type of body donation is what many fear if cloning for the purpose of organ donation is ever allowed.
Another issue often raised has more to do with the economic exploitation of the donors. It is a common perception that the donors are poor and the ones receiving the organs are rich. This raises fear of an organ black market. In some places, such as the Indian subcontinent and Africa this has already become a concern. Another issue is known as xenotransplantation which involves the harvesting of certain compatible animal organs for use in humans. A whole new plethora of ethical issues surround this idea. Even animal rights groups have joined in this debate. There is no question that body donation and organ donation will remain a hot topic for many years to come.
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Transplant Tourism, Bioethics and Red Tape
Aidan Maconachy asked:
Rather than focus exclusively on information about the organ trade that is available via news reports on the subject, I’d like in addition to take a look at the conditions that have given rise to this phenomena and what if anything can be done about it.
Medical opinion is increasingly on-side with transplantation as the best possible option for patient’s facing organ failure. Advances in organ transplant procedures have increased the odds that the surgery will offer a new lease of life. Consequently there has been increasing pressure to find a ready supply of human organs to meet the needs of patients, some of whom are willing to travel abroad and pay top dollar for a life saving organ transplant. This development isn’t surprising given that patients have been faced with waiting periods of a year and more, before acquiring a suitable organ from traditional donor sources.
The phenomena that’s become known as “transplant tourism” has a predatory aspect that raises serious ethical concerns. In many cases affluent Westerners seek out sellers in developing countries via the services of a middle man. When the seller is found, the fee promised for a kidney, bone marrow or other organ is rarely what he or she ends up receiving once all the medical costs and broker’s fees are tallied up. There is little doubt that many who are targeted as potential sellers, are exploited with little concern for their well being and in many cases ripped off.
Transplant procedures usually take place in the country where the organ has been made available. This has become more feasible as a result of improved medical technology and standards of care. In some of these countries law enforcement is lax, especially when it comes to policing unorthodox medical practices.
Organ retrieval run by brokers for the benefit of paying customers has become a problem. In the Philippines there is a small army of middle men who are engaged in procuring organs. In the Manila area alone, the trade has become so prevalent President Gloria Arroyo has taken steps to crack down on it.
What is emerging in a number of developing nations are ghost networks of procurers, practitioners and care providers who make a living off the trade. In India for example, police raids have netted prominent doctors connected to respectable hospitals and clinics who offer their services in a moonlighting capacity.
Driving the rising popularity of transplant tourism, is the hellish situation many people find themselves in given the long wait for donor organs. At one point in the US in 2006, there were 70,000 people waiting to receive a new kidney. Considering that in 2005 roughly 16,000 patients received kidneys, the situation is clearly dire.
People seeking a transplant who have financial resources have many options, including access to clinics overseas that cater to clients who are willing to pay. Patients often have no direct knowledge whether the transplanted organ comes from a destitute single mother, an executed prisoner or even from a criminal source. The clinical side of the arrangement can persuade paying clients that what they are receiving is more or less a professional service, since few choose to look behind the scenes.
The exposure of organ harvesting practices in China involving prisoners, opened up a nightmare scenario from the far reaches of the horror genre. The reports that surfaced about organ retrieval in China resulted in investigations such as the report undertaken by Canadian MP David Kilgour, and the findings confirmed a lot of people’s worst fears.
The international community can’t allow an organ donor crisis in Western nations to result in the victimization of the poor and those held in detention facilities abroad. Many of the people who sell organs don’t do so willingly, but are driven to the measure as a result of extreme poverty. Rigorous regulatory regimes in the US and Canada have closed down many options that are a lot more palatable than what is currently transpiring in countries like India and Philippines.
The National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) in the US, states in section 301 that the buying and selling of organs is prohibited. The problem is, NOTA provisions have also been used to block the establishment of a registry to pair organ donors. It’s hard to see how paired donations infringe the letter of 301. I would go even further, and suggest that there should be a medical protocol established that would allow for the sale of organs under carefully established guidelines and with proper medical supervision. The point is- something has to give. It is unacceptable that thousands of people are dying on waiting lists while options such as these sit on the shelf.
When you consider the appalling toll of human suffering created by the black market in organs, there is simply no defense that can justify continued obstructionism. We badly need new medical protocols that will address the increasing problem of those in need of organ transplantation.
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Rather than focus exclusively on information about the organ trade that is available via news reports on the subject, I’d like in addition to take a look at the conditions that have given rise to this phenomena and what if anything can be done about it.
Medical opinion is increasingly on-side with transplantation as the best possible option for patient’s facing organ failure. Advances in organ transplant procedures have increased the odds that the surgery will offer a new lease of life. Consequently there has been increasing pressure to find a ready supply of human organs to meet the needs of patients, some of whom are willing to travel abroad and pay top dollar for a life saving organ transplant. This development isn’t surprising given that patients have been faced with waiting periods of a year and more, before acquiring a suitable organ from traditional donor sources.
The phenomena that’s become known as “transplant tourism” has a predatory aspect that raises serious ethical concerns. In many cases affluent Westerners seek out sellers in developing countries via the services of a middle man. When the seller is found, the fee promised for a kidney, bone marrow or other organ is rarely what he or she ends up receiving once all the medical costs and broker’s fees are tallied up. There is little doubt that many who are targeted as potential sellers, are exploited with little concern for their well being and in many cases ripped off.
Transplant procedures usually take place in the country where the organ has been made available. This has become more feasible as a result of improved medical technology and standards of care. In some of these countries law enforcement is lax, especially when it comes to policing unorthodox medical practices.
Organ retrieval run by brokers for the benefit of paying customers has become a problem. In the Philippines there is a small army of middle men who are engaged in procuring organs. In the Manila area alone, the trade has become so prevalent President Gloria Arroyo has taken steps to crack down on it.
What is emerging in a number of developing nations are ghost networks of procurers, practitioners and care providers who make a living off the trade. In India for example, police raids have netted prominent doctors connected to respectable hospitals and clinics who offer their services in a moonlighting capacity.
Driving the rising popularity of transplant tourism, is the hellish situation many people find themselves in given the long wait for donor organs. At one point in the US in 2006, there were 70,000 people waiting to receive a new kidney. Considering that in 2005 roughly 16,000 patients received kidneys, the situation is clearly dire.
People seeking a transplant who have financial resources have many options, including access to clinics overseas that cater to clients who are willing to pay. Patients often have no direct knowledge whether the transplanted organ comes from a destitute single mother, an executed prisoner or even from a criminal source. The clinical side of the arrangement can persuade paying clients that what they are receiving is more or less a professional service, since few choose to look behind the scenes.
The exposure of organ harvesting practices in China involving prisoners, opened up a nightmare scenario from the far reaches of the horror genre. The reports that surfaced about organ retrieval in China resulted in investigations such as the report undertaken by Canadian MP David Kilgour, and the findings confirmed a lot of people’s worst fears.
The international community can’t allow an organ donor crisis in Western nations to result in the victimization of the poor and those held in detention facilities abroad. Many of the people who sell organs don’t do so willingly, but are driven to the measure as a result of extreme poverty. Rigorous regulatory regimes in the US and Canada have closed down many options that are a lot more palatable than what is currently transpiring in countries like India and Philippines.
The National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) in the US, states in section 301 that the buying and selling of organs is prohibited. The problem is, NOTA provisions have also been used to block the establishment of a registry to pair organ donors. It’s hard to see how paired donations infringe the letter of 301. I would go even further, and suggest that there should be a medical protocol established that would allow for the sale of organs under carefully established guidelines and with proper medical supervision. The point is- something has to give. It is unacceptable that thousands of people are dying on waiting lists while options such as these sit on the shelf.
When you consider the appalling toll of human suffering created by the black market in organs, there is simply no defense that can justify continued obstructionism. We badly need new medical protocols that will address the increasing problem of those in need of organ transplantation.
Antiaging Service
Spare Organs – The Future of Organ Transplant
Kenneth Cheek asked:
”I’d like to place an order..how about a liver, a heart valve….and two kidneys.” There may come a time in the very near future when Doctors sound more like auto mechanics as they order spare parts..or sorry organs from the factory. I know, sounds crazy right? Well believe it or not right now there are factories all over the world who don’t make parts for Toyota or Honda..but parts for people.
Now everyone has heard the story of a guy who went to the hotel with a lady and woke up in a bath tub full of ice with a kidney missing, and for good reason, these organs are the most in demand organ and in the recent past have sold for prices as high as 25,000-85,000 dollars. In the U.S. the waiting list for a kidney transplant is over 100.000 people! and around 18 people may die each day awaiting an organ transplant, not to mention that 2 people die every minute from organ failure. The bad news is that even when you do have a proper donor your body may reject the long awaited and expensive gift you have just received. To get your body to accept an organ from another human they put you on powerful immune suppressing drugs that are horrible for your body…but is..of course necessary if that body wishes to carry on for years to come and not become the possible donor itself. However breakthroughs in health science may soon change all of this. Its already possible to grow organs and arteries but the science for all body parts have not been completely perfected for human use just yet, but the process is advancing at..well cellular reproductive speed.
The new age of organs is upon us. No longer will we need donors or organs from someone who kicked the bucket. Soon we will just custom order a new spleen or kidney and wait for about two months or so while its created. The best part is it is made from our own cells instead of some one who our body is unfamiliar with so there is no rejection and no need for harsh immune suppressant chemicals and our body can heal and get back to functioning at optimum efficiency thus giving us maximum quality in our lives. Its done many ways and one is actually where organs are printed out of a printer. Imagine an ink-jet printer but instead of spraying out streams of different colored ink it uses human cells and a type of gel that is then printed on to a special material into a 3D model of whatever organ or artery they need and there you have it. Another is to build cells around a scaffold which is biodegradable. Its then implanted and once its in, the scaffold breaks down and your body just has to finish the healing process. This has already been done with bladders, but soon other organs will follow. They have completely built a rat hear, and next they will go to pigs which are closer to humans and then finally us. I’ve heard it will be a pig/human hybrid heart which will be used in humans. It doesn’t end there however, bone marrow, kidneys, liver and the pancreas are next. A pancreas would actually cure many of the millions of people with diabetes and they will no longer have to do the poking and monitoring of their blood sugar as this will be handled on auto pilot as it is with people without diabetes.
This technology as well as many others to come will save many live and dramatically improve our lives as human beings. Another benefit is that it will allow scientists to grow organs for study so they can create new treatments and cures, better understand how our body and the parts it is made of work and improve medical science at an even faster rate. They are already using this to study effects of the human immune system and this is only the beginning.
Anti-aging Doctor
”I’d like to place an order..how about a liver, a heart valve….and two kidneys.” There may come a time in the very near future when Doctors sound more like auto mechanics as they order spare parts..or sorry organs from the factory. I know, sounds crazy right? Well believe it or not right now there are factories all over the world who don’t make parts for Toyota or Honda..but parts for people.
Now everyone has heard the story of a guy who went to the hotel with a lady and woke up in a bath tub full of ice with a kidney missing, and for good reason, these organs are the most in demand organ and in the recent past have sold for prices as high as 25,000-85,000 dollars. In the U.S. the waiting list for a kidney transplant is over 100.000 people! and around 18 people may die each day awaiting an organ transplant, not to mention that 2 people die every minute from organ failure. The bad news is that even when you do have a proper donor your body may reject the long awaited and expensive gift you have just received. To get your body to accept an organ from another human they put you on powerful immune suppressing drugs that are horrible for your body…but is..of course necessary if that body wishes to carry on for years to come and not become the possible donor itself. However breakthroughs in health science may soon change all of this. Its already possible to grow organs and arteries but the science for all body parts have not been completely perfected for human use just yet, but the process is advancing at..well cellular reproductive speed.
The new age of organs is upon us. No longer will we need donors or organs from someone who kicked the bucket. Soon we will just custom order a new spleen or kidney and wait for about two months or so while its created. The best part is it is made from our own cells instead of some one who our body is unfamiliar with so there is no rejection and no need for harsh immune suppressant chemicals and our body can heal and get back to functioning at optimum efficiency thus giving us maximum quality in our lives. Its done many ways and one is actually where organs are printed out of a printer. Imagine an ink-jet printer but instead of spraying out streams of different colored ink it uses human cells and a type of gel that is then printed on to a special material into a 3D model of whatever organ or artery they need and there you have it. Another is to build cells around a scaffold which is biodegradable. Its then implanted and once its in, the scaffold breaks down and your body just has to finish the healing process. This has already been done with bladders, but soon other organs will follow. They have completely built a rat hear, and next they will go to pigs which are closer to humans and then finally us. I’ve heard it will be a pig/human hybrid heart which will be used in humans. It doesn’t end there however, bone marrow, kidneys, liver and the pancreas are next. A pancreas would actually cure many of the millions of people with diabetes and they will no longer have to do the poking and monitoring of their blood sugar as this will be handled on auto pilot as it is with people without diabetes.
This technology as well as many others to come will save many live and dramatically improve our lives as human beings. Another benefit is that it will allow scientists to grow organs for study so they can create new treatments and cures, better understand how our body and the parts it is made of work and improve medical science at an even faster rate. They are already using this to study effects of the human immune system and this is only the beginning.
Anti-aging Doctor
Use Your Own Stem Cells to Grow Your Own Transplant Organs
Paul Dangheart asked:
Boomers!! Would you be shock to know the Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke kills more Americans every year that all cancers combined. Atherosclerosi is the single underlying cause for both of these conditions. Each year one quarter of all deaths in America are linked atherosclerosis. This is the progressive buildup of fatty deposists on the walls of the arteries. Boomers as we age, plaque can build up and restrict blood flow. Over time this disease can eventually clog your arteries, making them stiff and inflexible. Many of you know that clogged arteries can cut off the flow of blood to the brain and heart leading to a heart attack or stroke. So tell me something that I Don’t know!
What if I were to tell you that there are three possible things that you can to stop this from happening to you?
- First thing you can do about Atherosclerosis is to educate yourself. Ask your doctor about the risk factors that contribute to the silent disease.
- Second thing you can do make healthy choices in eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise and lowering your stress level.
- Third thing you can do order a new section of arterie to replace the portion that is causing the problem. And tell them to take the initial stem cells from your body so that there will be no legal issues or body rejection.
Would you believe that in the near future that we will be able to order and grow our own replacement parts. Regenerative medicine is now a part of your not to distant future. Star Wars tech is soon to come to a hospital or research center near you. Soon we will be able to replace everything from diseased heart muscle to worn out cartilage and failing kidney cells.
It is a possible chance that many Baby Boomers know of an individual that are waiting for human organs. About 98,000 people are on a waiting list for transplants almost ever day. And everyday Baby Boomers are adding to this list. Many of them will die before they get just what is needed. Now a new generation of researchers are changing that requirement one cell at a time.
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicien, and Tengion Company represents the breakthrough in Regenerative Medicine. The technology harness the body’s ability to regenerate tissues and organs, and has the potential to allow adults and children with organ failure to have functioning organs created from their own tissues. This potentially enable individual to have an unlimited source for replacement body parts, which can lead to healthier lives. For the tens of thousands of patients who need organ transplants, this technology brings hope.
Picture this, in the 21st Century, Stem Cell Transplants and growing you own replacement parts will becoming as common as plastic surgery
Thank you for Your Time
Human Lifespan
Boomers!! Would you be shock to know the Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke kills more Americans every year that all cancers combined. Atherosclerosi is the single underlying cause for both of these conditions. Each year one quarter of all deaths in America are linked atherosclerosis. This is the progressive buildup of fatty deposists on the walls of the arteries. Boomers as we age, plaque can build up and restrict blood flow. Over time this disease can eventually clog your arteries, making them stiff and inflexible. Many of you know that clogged arteries can cut off the flow of blood to the brain and heart leading to a heart attack or stroke. So tell me something that I Don’t know!
What if I were to tell you that there are three possible things that you can to stop this from happening to you?
- First thing you can do about Atherosclerosis is to educate yourself. Ask your doctor about the risk factors that contribute to the silent disease.
- Second thing you can do make healthy choices in eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise and lowering your stress level.
- Third thing you can do order a new section of arterie to replace the portion that is causing the problem. And tell them to take the initial stem cells from your body so that there will be no legal issues or body rejection.
Would you believe that in the near future that we will be able to order and grow our own replacement parts. Regenerative medicine is now a part of your not to distant future. Star Wars tech is soon to come to a hospital or research center near you. Soon we will be able to replace everything from diseased heart muscle to worn out cartilage and failing kidney cells.
It is a possible chance that many Baby Boomers know of an individual that are waiting for human organs. About 98,000 people are on a waiting list for transplants almost ever day. And everyday Baby Boomers are adding to this list. Many of them will die before they get just what is needed. Now a new generation of researchers are changing that requirement one cell at a time.
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicien, and Tengion Company represents the breakthrough in Regenerative Medicine. The technology harness the body’s ability to regenerate tissues and organs, and has the potential to allow adults and children with organ failure to have functioning organs created from their own tissues. This potentially enable individual to have an unlimited source for replacement body parts, which can lead to healthier lives. For the tens of thousands of patients who need organ transplants, this technology brings hope.
Picture this, in the 21st Century, Stem Cell Transplants and growing you own replacement parts will becoming as common as plastic surgery
Thank you for Your Time
Human Lifespan
Organ Donating – The Moral, Ethical, and Legal Stalemate
Robert Armenta asked:
The act Donating Organs, either prior to death or after death, is considered by many to be one of the most generous, selfless and worthwhile decisions that one could make. The decision to donate an organ could mean the difference of life or death for a recipient waiting for a donor. Organ donations offer patients new chances at living more productive, healthy and normal lives and offers them back to families, friends and neighborhoods.
Despite the increasing number of donor designations in the past few years, a shortage still exists in donors. There are nearly 100,000 people waiting patiently on organ transplant waiting lists, but sadly, on an average day, less than 80 people receive donor organs and approximately 19 die waiting for transplants. Even with the success rates of transplants improving almost 4500 new patients are added to the waiting list every month.
In general there have been a number of issues that have stood in the way of the success of organ donation, and in so far as to say they are trivial, many believe that they resolve to basic human emotions. Many might think that ethical beliefs in what is right or wrong, good or bad, necessary or unnecessary, shouldn’t play a role in life or death. But what about the moral obligations that we share as human beings to protect life?
It is differences in moral and ethical beliefs along with political and legal positions that have stood in the way of the progress of organ donation. Politicians, Doctors, Lawyers, all offer many thoughts on what is right and what is our duty. What is the right thing to do? Are Doctors obligated to give a good liver to an alcoholic? Is is right to accept an organ from an impoverished person who sells their organs for money. How about the mentally or physically challenged? Can we harvest organs from those who cannot and will not be fully able to use them? What about those that are incarcerated with no chance of parole? How about allowing a convicted murderer his sight back, should this person be allowed to be a recipient? There are many, many moral and ethical questions that may never be answered to clear the path for organ donating.
Among all the moral, ethical, physical, and medical viewpoints there are also religious ones as well. While almost all religions agree that organ donations are acceptable and individual members can make their own decisions, there are some restrictions. Jehovah’s Witnesses allow only for organs that have been completely drained of blood due to the belief that transfusions are disallowed in the Bible. The Muslim religion absolutely demands that there be prior written consents before an organ transplant takes place. Orthodox Judaism claims it is necessary and proper if a life can be saved to perform an organ transplant as long as the donor is proclaimed dead as defined by Jewish law. The Shinto religion and the customs of the Gypsies are two notable groups that disallow transplantation.
Because of the sever shortages in donor organs there are also very difficult decisions that need to be determined during the screening process. Deciding who is eligible is not an easy task by any means. Factors such as organ viability (how long an organ can last outside the human body) can drastically reduce the number of patients that can be considered for a transplant, because the patient has to be in relatively close proximity to the organ. Sex, age, race, physical condition, blood type, tissue type, body size, blood antibody levels, all play a role in the determination for selection of potential donors. Many hospitals now have organ network representatives who will screen potential donors prior to death, requesting tests, requesting organ preserving drugs, and obtaining the proper legal documentation and family consents. These actions have all contributed to the increase in transplant efficiency.
Becoming and organ and tissue donor could be the best thing you’ve ever done. Each organ and tissue donor saves or improves the lives of as many as 50 people. Registering with your state donor registry is the first step to becoming an organ donor. Designate your decision on your driver’s license, and sign a donor card and carry it with you. And, most importantly, talk to you family and inform them of your decision so they will be prepared when the time comes.
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The act Donating Organs, either prior to death or after death, is considered by many to be one of the most generous, selfless and worthwhile decisions that one could make. The decision to donate an organ could mean the difference of life or death for a recipient waiting for a donor. Organ donations offer patients new chances at living more productive, healthy and normal lives and offers them back to families, friends and neighborhoods.
Despite the increasing number of donor designations in the past few years, a shortage still exists in donors. There are nearly 100,000 people waiting patiently on organ transplant waiting lists, but sadly, on an average day, less than 80 people receive donor organs and approximately 19 die waiting for transplants. Even with the success rates of transplants improving almost 4500 new patients are added to the waiting list every month.
In general there have been a number of issues that have stood in the way of the success of organ donation, and in so far as to say they are trivial, many believe that they resolve to basic human emotions. Many might think that ethical beliefs in what is right or wrong, good or bad, necessary or unnecessary, shouldn’t play a role in life or death. But what about the moral obligations that we share as human beings to protect life?
It is differences in moral and ethical beliefs along with political and legal positions that have stood in the way of the progress of organ donation. Politicians, Doctors, Lawyers, all offer many thoughts on what is right and what is our duty. What is the right thing to do? Are Doctors obligated to give a good liver to an alcoholic? Is is right to accept an organ from an impoverished person who sells their organs for money. How about the mentally or physically challenged? Can we harvest organs from those who cannot and will not be fully able to use them? What about those that are incarcerated with no chance of parole? How about allowing a convicted murderer his sight back, should this person be allowed to be a recipient? There are many, many moral and ethical questions that may never be answered to clear the path for organ donating.
Among all the moral, ethical, physical, and medical viewpoints there are also religious ones as well. While almost all religions agree that organ donations are acceptable and individual members can make their own decisions, there are some restrictions. Jehovah’s Witnesses allow only for organs that have been completely drained of blood due to the belief that transfusions are disallowed in the Bible. The Muslim religion absolutely demands that there be prior written consents before an organ transplant takes place. Orthodox Judaism claims it is necessary and proper if a life can be saved to perform an organ transplant as long as the donor is proclaimed dead as defined by Jewish law. The Shinto religion and the customs of the Gypsies are two notable groups that disallow transplantation.
Because of the sever shortages in donor organs there are also very difficult decisions that need to be determined during the screening process. Deciding who is eligible is not an easy task by any means. Factors such as organ viability (how long an organ can last outside the human body) can drastically reduce the number of patients that can be considered for a transplant, because the patient has to be in relatively close proximity to the organ. Sex, age, race, physical condition, blood type, tissue type, body size, blood antibody levels, all play a role in the determination for selection of potential donors. Many hospitals now have organ network representatives who will screen potential donors prior to death, requesting tests, requesting organ preserving drugs, and obtaining the proper legal documentation and family consents. These actions have all contributed to the increase in transplant efficiency.
Becoming and organ and tissue donor could be the best thing you’ve ever done. Each organ and tissue donor saves or improves the lives of as many as 50 people. Registering with your state donor registry is the first step to becoming an organ donor. Designate your decision on your driver’s license, and sign a donor card and carry it with you. And, most importantly, talk to you family and inform them of your decision so they will be prepared when the time comes.
Best Antiaging Products
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