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The Organ Of Organ Transplantation

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One of the most significant issues concerning organ transplantation revolves around the just and fair distribution of organs. Due to the assorted and occasionally conflicting opinions of what constitutes as ‘fair’, in concurrence with a relative shortage of donated organs, many social, legal and ethical contentions have arisen. This shortage is portrayed by statistics shown on the NHS organ donation page, where approximately 10,000 people are on the waiting list for a solid organ transplant and approximately 1,000 people die annually whilst waiting for an organ transplant and in 2013, a record 4,655 patients received a solid organ transplant (National Health Service, 2014).
Furthermore, it is important to observe the fact that the organ donor deficit is growing, even factoring in the 50 percent increase in live donations since 2008. This deficit can be attributed to the rate of increase in donated organs falling short of the greater increase in transplant-requiring patients. This can be further illustrated statistically where the number of people requiring organs has increased from approximately 8,700 to approximately 10,000 between 2005 and 2013 (National Health Service, 2014). There are a myriad of contributing factors that can be held responsible for the rise in required organs, including the prevalence of diseases inflicted through lifestyle choices i.e. obesity and smoking, as well as improved medical science resulting in an aging population. Additionally, there are

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