The Utilitarian Theory of Organ Donation Essay

“The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.” (Corrie Ten Boom) As living creatures our organs are a very vital detail into who, what we are and how we work. We would not be able survive well and live our lives to the fullest that we possibly can, if we did not have them. Organ donation is a very important thing, whether it is just a kidney to be a live donor. Or giving it all when life is over and a new chapter begins. Even though people do attribute to organ donation there are just not enough people doing it, and now people are getting rich off of this misfortunes of others.

Organ transplantation is a term that most people are familiar with. When a person develops the need for a new organ either due to an accident or disease, they receive a transplant, right? No, that 's not always right. When a person needs a new organ, they usually face a long term struggle that they may never see the end of, at least while they are alive. The demand for transplant organs is a challenging problem that many people are working to solve. Countries all over the world face the organ shortage epidemic, and they all have different laws regarding what can be done to solve it. However, no country has been able to create a successful plan without causing moral and ethical dilemmas.

Ultimately, being an organ donor saves lives and that itself is a gift of life. Life is not something you can get back that’s what makes life precious. For example, losing a love one is always a tough situation and knowing that you could have done something about it will haunt you for the rest of your life. Lifesaving organ is not only a problem for the U.S. but around the world. There are nearly 7,000 unnecessary deaths each for people not being able to receive these organs (Forbes). As humanity we have to take in consideration that we will not need organs in the afterlife. These very well organs don’t have to go to waste it can very well help a person in need of one. Organ donation is not an easy decision to make but this is the

Thank you, Mario for your feedback. I am supporting organ donations, but there’s a lot of challenges that come with organ donations. The demand for organs is higher than the supply, which is causing a disadvantage for the individuals that require the organs. Organ donations offer the gift of life but it no longer becomes a gift if the organ doesn’t become available in due time. I have revised my thesis to include three points to support my claim.

Organ donation can be a lifesaving transaction that can save people from all walks of life. The justice-based ethics theory ensures that these transactions are without bias. That a person who receives an organ will not be discriminated against based on their life. This theory is supposed to give everyone an equal chance at receiving the medical help they may require. This is very important when trying to distribute vital, lifesaving organs. Unfortunately, this theory does not always get put into practice.

The pressing thought of living organ donations are the ethical parts, if it burdens the donor not just physically after the surgery, but with misconduct from the doctor. Removing a healthy organ from a living person arouses attention to the first rule of medicine, above all, do no harm. Is living organ donation doing more harm to a healthy being than saving a unhealthy one? Would it be better to wait on the transplant list for years just to be sure no one unethically took an organ, even if the organ was given to save a life? Living organ donations do no harm ethically to the donor, since both of the patients are informed of the risks, it does not eschew the first rule of medicine, but invalidates the argument with a safe and full recovery procedure that saves a life faster than a deceased organ donation.

The human body is an amazing thing, but it is far from perfect. As time goes on the body deteriorates and weakens, so it becomes prone to illnesses and injury. Even though not every illness or injury can be cured by organ donation, it can still save thousands of lives. “33,611 transplants were performed in 2016” (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services). Without people who are willing to donate their organs, that number would be zero and more deaths would occur everyday.

Donating an organ is the ultimate gift any person could give, simply because it saves the life of another. Giving the gift of life is far more important than the right to decide how to dispose of a body that a deceased person will no longer need. When a person is dead, and no longer needs the body, then in all reality a person whom is dying, and could easily be saved by an organ from the deceased person

Should people have to wait for an organ and suffer from it or should people give up an organ they don’t need in order to help save a life? Because of the different views on organ donation, people are trying to decide on the best way to solve the problems that come along with it. “More than 118,000 patients are waiting for kidneys, livers, hearts, and lungs” (Satel).

Bilgel (2012) points out it can lead to anti-donation feelings of citizens and then make people opt out more. For the public, the presumed consent organ donation might be considered utilitarianism, which seeks the greatest good for the greatest number. As Harris (1975) points out, it is just like killing one to save more people, which will be difficult for some people to accept. For example, Brazil passed Presumed Organ Donor Law in 1997, but it caused widespread public debates on the legal, ethical, religious, and civil ramifications of compulsory organ donation, the opponents thought organ donation should be voluntary instead of being compulsive (Andrea, 1998). Indeed, the law has not been implemented at last. Besides, Shaw (2013) asserts that some malicious doctors may abuse of power to make patients with lesser need receive organs more quickly than those with a large need. Just like the scandal happened in German in 2013, doctors who were bribed falsified medical records to make their patients’ conditions appear worse to get organs more quickly (ibid). For this reason, patients with worse conditions cannot receive organs in time, so the morbidity and mortality might increase more rapidly. Overall, public confidence needs more attention and research in opt-out organ

As you read this, two people have just died. Within those two people is enough tissue to save as many as 100 lives and enough organs to save 16 of the 165,000 people waiting for a organ transplant in USA. Yet, not enough people are choosing to become organ donors, becoming an organ donor should be the choice that more people are making. Choosing to not donate your organs means that you are depriving someone of a live and researchers the materials to perform their investigations. Not only does organ donation save someone's life but you yourself will be able to morally benefit by granting someone with more time than they were give. 21 people per day die waiting for an organ, you could be the one to grant them more time, by saying yes.

Every thirty minutes someone gets added to the waiting list for an organ transplant (‘Frequently Asked Questions”). Not only that, but the number of patients being added to the waiting list is growing larger than the number of donors (“Organ Donation Statistics”). Many people are in the need of some kind of organ donation, so anyone who donates can help to save many lives. Organ donation is also such a great way to give back to people. Another thing is that to donate an organ a person does not have to pay money (“Organ Donation FAQ’s”). The only part that costs money is for the funeral if they are a deceased donor (“Organ Donation FAQ’s”).

Organ donation is the only current way for humans to survive when they have vital organs that are shutting down. In today’s society, people can donate blood, a kidney, and part of their liver while they are still alive. People also make the decision whether they would like to have their vital organs donated after they have passed away if they are still viable organs. There has been much debate about whether people or their families should be able to receive financial compensation for organs that they are giving to someone else to save their lives.

Utilitarianism was establish by John Stuart Mill, and it is based on the principle of what is the greatest good for the greatest amount of people (Robinson, 2015). It is concern with the impact on individuals as a whole in society. If the act is right or wrong it is only determined by its consequences. The common phrase used in this theory is that the “consequences justify the means”. Utilitarianism applies to this situation because patients with the most immediate need and those who benefit the most should receive the donor organ (Fremgen,

“Organ donation is not a tragedy, but it can be a beautiful light, in the midst of one” (Unknown). There has been many disbeliefs about donating your organs over the years. The organ demand drastically exceeds the available supply, which is why more people need to be organ donors. People should become organ donors because of the limited availability of organs and the chance to save many lives.