Jans Kelsey Philosophy 201 Prof. Markle 3/10/07
Extra Credit Paper- Ethics Organ Donation: Charity or Commerce? Coleman shows us that there are many issues regarding the donation of organs. He shows us many arguments about whether it is ethical to give an older person an organ or whether a younger person should receive an organ, whether living transplantation could be considered unethical, and why organ donation is considered heroic in some cases. Coleman demonstrates to us that everyday more than 89,000 potential candidates are waiting for organs and that everyday about 27 people die while waiting for a vital organ. Coleman further explains that many doctors debate who they should give an organ to first, a younger person or an older person? In 2002, Shawn Stringfellow crashed his Harley Davidson and struck a construction barrel. The next day Shawn was on life support. Shawn's heart was functioning, but his brain was not. With his family's consent, Shawn's kidneys were donated. These two kidney's were available and doctors had to decide who would receive them. Clois Guthrie, an 85 year old patient was on the waiting list for a kidney transplant. Doctors predicted that Clois only had a few more years to live by his overall condition. There were two younger candidates and they were the first and second people on the list. A nephrologists argued that the kidneys would last longer if
they were given to a younger patient and a team member argued that it was unethical to give a young kidney to an 85 year old patient. Therefore, Guthrie was removed from the waiting Coleman list.( P.1) As well as making the decision of giving a kidney to a younger or older person there is also the issue of why living transplantation is considered unethical to some people. Living transplantation may seem unethical to some people particularly because there are risks involved. In the 1950's Catholic Moralist's argued that living organ transplantation was unethical because it could harm and injure a person's body. However, many people believe different. In 1956, Gerald Kelly, S.J. wrote "by a sort of instinctive judgment the giving of a part of one's body to help a sick man is not only morally justifiable, but in some instances, actually heroic." (Page 2) Even in 1995, John Paul II stated in " The Gospel of Life" that daily love "should be filled with self-giving love to others. A particularly praiseworthy example is the donation of organs, performed in an ethically acceptable manner, with a view to offering a chance of health and even life itself to the sick who sometimes have no other hope." ( page 3) This quote by John Paul demonstrates to us that donating an organ can offer someone else the chance to live and that it should be praiseworthy. I believe that although many people have different opinions about what age or when an organ donation should be performed that organ donation is something that someone should be thankful for. People should not have a negative opinion about organ donation since other people are donating organs for the good of others. It is an act that saves other people's lives.