The demand for organ donation and transplants has been on a steady rise in recent years. However, this has raised serious ethical questions regarding the procurement and allocation of organs. The first key ethical issue is on risk-benefit analysis, with the view being on those involved in the donation of different organs. MacKay & Robinson (2016) denote that health professionals often face a key ethical dilemma when determining whether to go ahead with an organ transplant while considering the risk that this is likely to have on those giving organs. For example, the kidney is one of the most donated organs in the health industry today. On the one hand, the recipients of these kidneys experience notable benefits considering that this means a difference between life and death. On the other hand, donors are exposed to serious health risks once they have donated this organ, which may have lifelong consequences. Therefore, this raises the ethical question of risk-benefit analysis in determining whether such decisions are viable.
The second ethical issue is on voluntary consent. In organ donation and transplantation, it is often important to ensure that those donating do so out of their volition. That becomes a key issue of concern because a significant number of those involved in organ donation are forced into donating organs without their consent. The issue of forced organ donations has raised an international debate on organ trade because many people find themselves donating their organs, which leads to a growth in the black market. The ethical challenge is that majority of the countries are not in any position allowing them to deal with organized crime syndicates that force people into donating organs. The last ethical issue is informed consent, which focuses on the idea of ensuring that donors and recipients are accorded adequate information to allow them to make decisions. By not provide donors and recipients with such information, it becomes hard for them to make informed decisions on whether to move ahead with such procedures.
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References
MacKay, D., & Robinson, A. (2016). The ethics of organ donor registration policies: nudges and respect for autonomy. The American Journal of Bioethics , 16 (11), 3-12.
