Reverence For Life Speech: Organ Transplantation

Definition of organ transplantation:
Organ transplantation is the procedure of surgically re-implanting a failing organ or tissue of the patient with a healthy organ or tissue from the organ donor. One of the greatest advances in modern medicine is organ transplantation because it saves many lives since failed organs can be replaced with a healthy one from a donor. Organs that are most often transplanted include: kidney, liver, heart, pancreas, lung and small intestine. Organ transplantation comes under bioethics as it links to the ethics of medical and biological research.

BIOETHICAL STUFF

Parameters of organ transplantation:
Majority of the people believe that within certain ethical boundaries, taking organs from any source is a legitimate practice. The three sources of transplantable organs are cadaveric donors, living donors and alternative organ sources.

Cadaveric donations occur when a person consents to donate their organs while still living. After the person is observed dead, which is either when their heart stops beating or if they become brain dead, the organs are obtained from the deceased’s body. The departed person may be kept on life support once they have passed away, so as to preserve the organs till they are removed. The hospital or the organ donation organisation will approach a family member to acquire consent, if the expired person’s organ donation desires are unknown.

Living donations is another source of organ transplantations, however many people argue that this is not ethical because it is not appropriate and very risky. This occurs when a person with organ damage or failure looks for a living donor to donate an organ. This allows them to avoid altogether the national waiting list to receive a cadaveric donation.

The last source for organ transplantations is alternative organ sources. Because there is far to many people waiting for organ donations compared to organ donors, so researchers have now considered alternative sources, which are deemed non-traditional. These sources include animal organs, artificial organs, stem cells and aborted foetuses.

PARAMETER: types of organ transplantation

Outline of the arguments for and against this issue

ARGUMENTS FOR ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION:

1. Organ transplantation saves lives. It’s as simple as that. This procedure gives people a second chance at life and it can allow individuals to lead a better quality of life. Many people have life threatening diseases, and need an organ transplantation that can save their life. Thousands of people die world wide waiting for organ donations. One donor, can save up to 10 people’s lives and improve the lives of many more. Power to save lives.
2. You don’t even have to be a living donor, instead you can be a cadaveric donor. This way, even in death, you would be saving others and those people would be forever grateful for the opportunity you provided. What use are our organs if they are buried under ground or cremated? Why not save lives in death as well. You can give life even in death. Make a difference
3. Being an organ donor has no costs as it is free to register and donate your organs and tissues. The recipient’s insurance or Medicare and the organ recovery organisations cover the costs of transplant. So the donor’s family is not responsible for the costs of procedure regardless if it is a living or cadaveric donation. Basically organ transplantation allows you to save other’s lives for free.
4. If a loved one has been lost prematurely, organ transplants offer a sense of continuation. For example, a donated pair lungs pumping oxygen in the chest of another means that a piece of the loved one continues to survive, even though that loved one is not physically alive. It can provide comfort to know a part of the person is still living.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION:

1. Organ transplantation may go against the person’s religion. In some religions