Homework due tonight 8:30pm pacfic time

Hannah Luepke

ENG 106

April 4, 2017

Mary Petty

Argumentative Essay

The idea of organ donation is a hot topic in today’s society. Whether it is live donation, transplant, or donation after death, there are many ways to be a donor. Organ donor is defined as “the process of surgically removing an organ or tissue from one person (the organ donor) and placing it into another person (the recipient)” (“Organ”, 2017). Organ donations are ethical because they aid medical professionals in research and saving lives, do not give preferential transplants to only those who can afford it, and help give families a way to cope with the death of a loved one.

Through organ donation, medical doctors, surgeons, and other staff can save lives. Twenty-one people die each day waiting for an organ (“Organ”, 2017). The most popular of these is the kidney, but other examples include the liver, lungs, bones, and various heart valves. Even skin and connective tissue can be transplanted (“Organ”, 2017). Many people wish to be donors. However, there are certain requirements for someone to be eligible to donate. If the donor is living, they must elect to become an organ donor or agree to undergo the transplant. If the donor is on life support, the family of that donor must make the decision. And, in most cases, organs have been deprived of blood, oxygen, and other essential factors to be donated after death. However, there are developing changes in the realm of living donors.

Currently, there is work being put towards the idea of a donor’s family allowing living organ donation while a patient is on a ventilator (Dockser Marcus, 2016). This is due to a Connecticut case where the family of a man named Robert Osterrieder wanted him to become an organ donor after an unexpected medical emergency. However, this was not allowed since he was technically considered to still be alive, since his heart was expected to continue beating on its own for about an hour after the life support was removed (Dockser Marcus, 2016). Because of this, he was considered to be a live donor. As a live donor, the donor themselves must articulate that their organs be donated. Their family and caretakers are unable to articulate the decision for them. Ultimately, Robert’s family was not allowed to make the decision for him and he died an hour after life support was removed, without being able to donate any of his organs. This type of policy would allow for many more organ donations, which would aid the more than 120,000 individuals on the transplant list (“Organ”, 2017).

While donation is able to save lives, this is not only done through transplants. Those who donate their bodies to science after death create many opportunities for advancement of the medical field. Researchers can use the organs donated to test new drugs, look for deformities which may be common, or use the cells to grow new organs. These types of research have lasting effects on the future of medicine. For example, the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act, signed by President Obama in November 2013, has opened many doors for HIV patients (Krans, 2013). Not only has the research on the disease itself made it possible for HIV positive organs to be transplanted into other HIV positive patients, but it has also allowed for researchers to begin research on HIV infected organs. They will be able to study the disease and its effects more in depth than ever before, which is something many HIV patients have been waiting for. It is these types of research that are saving more and more lives each day, which is all thanks to organ donation.

Another common idea surrounding organ donation is that more donors would step forward to donate if compensated. According to a survey done by the Chicago Tribune, 63% of those surveyed would be more willing to donate their kidney if compensated $50,000 (Eunjung Cha, 2016). However, organ sales have been banned for good reason. Through the National Transplant Act of 1984, the poor were protected from the wrath of the wealthy and the sale of organs was forbidden (Eunjung Cha, 2016). Many people may not agree with it, but it is the law. First of all, it is called organ donation because it is considered to be a selfless act done for the benefit of another person. If it was not meant to be done out of the good will of a donor’s heart, it would be called organ sales.

Secondly, organ transplant is expensive enough as it is. The estimated cost for a full kidney transplant including medical services, surgery, pre- and post-op care, and rejection suppressant medication in 2011 was $262,900. A heart transplant is even more expensive, reaching total cost of almost one million dollars (“Cost”, n.d.). If recipients were charged for the organ among all their other costs, many of them would never be able to afford it or would die trying to save up. In the case of donation on life support or after death, there is no cost to the family, except the general funeral costs (“Organ”, 2017). This helps protect the rich from “buying out” all the organs and the poor never even having a chance. After all, if someone were willing to pay a donor more than a different recipient for their organ, they would certainly choose the one which would provide more compensation. It is a natural tendency of humans’ sinful nature to be greedy, rather than provide the organ as a gift of life to the recipient.

One unique vision for organ donation is that it provides the family of the donor with a sort of closure after their loved one’s death. In an article written for Chicago Tribune, Vicki Olds describes how donating her 18-year-old daughter Nikki’s heart after her unexpected death gave her a way to cope and a sense of hope (Nolan, 2016). Olds was able to create a directed donation, meaning that she could instruct that her daughter’s heart be given to her friend, Tanisha Basham. Basham had congestive heart failure and had been waiting for a heart for three years (Nolan, 2016). Nikki’s other organs, like lungs and kidneys, were also donated (Nolan, 2016). Olds says this allowed her to know that Nikki did not die without a purpose and was comforted by the fact that she was able to give someone else life (Nolan, 2016).

According to an article written by Dr. Christian Barry, many families who choose to donate their loved one’s organ find comfort knowing that they were able to renew the life of another through that donation (Barry, 2013). In his personal experience, he found he had the ability to cope much easier after the death of his stepmother due to the fact that they donated many of her organs (Barry, 2013). Even though the death of someone close may cause pain and sadness, being able to give the gift of life to another is irreplaceable. This may give hope to the families and allow them to feel that their loved one is “living on” in another person.

Each of these areas of organ donation relate to the ethics behind the idea. Saving lives by the giving of part of oneself to another is one of the most moral things to do. It is selfless and an irreplaceable gift; the gift of life. Organ donation also allows for researchers to advance and provide new medications, saving uncountable lives today and in the future. Many people do not realize the amount of research conducted using donated tissues and organs. Without those who donate their bodies to science, there would not be as many advances in medical research as there have been. The ban of organ sales does not discriminate against the poor and does not give the rich an advantage to receiving a transplant. It also allows individuals to consider becoming a donor to be a choice, as it should be, and not an action forced upon them. Finally, while it may be one of the last things a family who has just lost a loved one wants to hear, organ donation gives that death a kind of purpose. They were able to save multiple lives through the donation and it may help give the family hope, closure, and allow them to heal.

Without organ donation, many people who make a difference in society would not be here. The ethical nature of organ donation supported by research, affordability, and future of donor’s families cannot be contested. Organ donation is a crucial part of society, even though it is behind the scenes to many families. These families should be considered blessed that they never have to go through the process of searching for an organ, especially in the case that one is never found. It is important to have a conversation with loved ones about organ donation and to become a registered organ donor if the individual so wishes. It is more important than many will ever realize. Just imagine the lives which could be saved.

References

Barry, C. (2013). Comfort and Closure from Organ Donation. Retrieved from

http://www.livercancergenomics.com/comfort-and-closure-from-organ-donation/.

Costs. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.transplantliving.org/before-the-transplant/financing-a-

transplant/the-costs/.

Dockser Marcus, A. (2016, June 26). The Difficult Ethics of Organ Donations From Living

Donors. Washington Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com.

Eunjung Cha, A. (2016, March 23). What would happen if Americans were paid to donate their

kidneys? Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.chicagotribune.com.

Krans, B. (2013, December 1). HIV Organ Donation Gives Hope to Thousands of Patients.

Healthline News. Retrieved from http://www.healthline.com.

Nolan, M. (2016, February 2). Daughter’s heart donation gives new life to mother’s friend, their

bond. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.chicagotribune.com.

Organ Donation and Transplantation. (2017). Retrieved from

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/organ-donation-and-transplantation.