PHI-FPX3200_ThompsonNia_Assessment4-1

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Jan 9, 2024

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1 Robbing the Dead: Is Organ Conscription Ethical? Nia B. Thompson PHI-FPX3200 Ginger Raya May 12, 2023

2 Robbing the Dead: Is Organ Conscription Ethical? Organ donation is where an individual receives an organ or tissue through a surgical process from another person. There are more than 100,000 people on the organ transplant waiting list and there’s a shortage of individuals who are considered organ donors. Because of this shortage, close to 10,000 people die every year waiting on an organ. When considering the shortage of living donors and most people do not consent to being cadaveric donors, should organ conscription come into play? If so, what are the moral and ethical issues associated with this method? In this assessment, I will discuss what moral and ethical issues may arise with organ conscription ways to improve the acceptance of it, the fairness and justness of the organ conscription policy, the importance of organ donation, and what can be done to increase organ donor support. Moral and Ethical Concerns The main moral and ethical concern surrounding organ conscription is the decision an individual has in regard to deciding the fate of what will happen with their own bodies. Although the number constantly rises for the need for organ donors, those who are actually organ donors remains low. There are many individuals on the transplant list who die before they receive an organ. In the United States a person must register to become an organ donor. If this isn’t done, it is up to the family to make the decision to donate the organs upon their death. However, consent is neither required nor requested when it comes to organ conscription for the organs once a patient is deceased. This is no longer an autonomous decision for the patient or their family. Organ conscription is not a practice that is widely accepted in the United States. Many people who oppose organ conscription feel strongly that it is unethical to remove the organs from the

3 deceased and give them to another person without the consent of the family. “The major benefit of conscription is that under this plan the efficiency of cadaveric organ procurement would approach 100%, which would increase dramatically the number of organs available for transplantation” (Spital, 2002). Still some see it as a method that would aid in helping many individuals who are on the transplant list and in turn cause a decrease in the number of deaths due to the organ shortage. While organ conscription is a benefit for those who are in need of an organ, it can be viewed as a violation of an individual’s autonomy. Fairness and Justness The argument for organ conscription being fair and just is due to the shortage of organ donors. Some may view organ conscription as robbing the dead. When a person is deceased, the organs are considered of no value to the deceased, however, they are considered a precious and rare commodity for someone in need of an organ. “Those who concur with this position, but would oppose conscription on independent philosophical grounds, have not yet found a voice in the Western tradition comparable in strength to the utilitarian basis of the policy’s support, for Kantian and Aristotelian ethics, too, lend themselves to a requirement that we make our organs available to others when they can no longer serve ourselves” (Levin, 2019). Educating the public on organ donation would be the best method to increase the organ donor population. It will also bring awareness to those who are in need of organs. Should the family be allowed to opt-out of donation when someone isn’t able to consent to organ donation? The only fair thing to do is allow the family to make the decision to opt-in or opt-out of organ donation for their deceased family member. However, if the family is educated about the benefits of organ donation, I believe that they will have sympathy for those in need of organs and agree to the donation.

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