Ethical Debate: Organ Transplants

wv_nurse 2003 · Feb 23, 2003

Originally posted by fergus51 (quote)

"Americans and Canadians DO go to other countries to get organs, specifically the live donor organs like kidneys. They go to Asia and buy them. Not any better than illegal aliens taking ours IMHO. It is immoral and taints the whole organ transplant issue"

And I think this is really what makes my stomach turn, how is this going to affect the number of people willing to consider organ donation.....

fergus51 · Feb 23, 2003

Originally posted by wv_nurse 2003
Originally posted by fergus51 (quote)
"Americans and Canadians DO go to other countries to get organs, specifically the live donor organs like kidneys. They go to Asia and buy them. Not any better than illegal aliens taking ours IMHO. It is immoral and taints the whole organ transplant issue"

And I think this is really what makes my stomach turn, how is this going to affect the number of people willing to consider organ donation.....

I am COMPLETELY with you on that one. Personally I wish organ donation was a given unless the person has gone to the trouble of taking themselves off the donor list, not the other way around. I am actually wearing my organ donor shirt as I type this. The front says "Recycle yourself" and the back says "Please don't take your organs to Heaven, Heaven knows we need them here". My lovely aunt is alive today thanks to a live donor kidney transplant, so I am a bit biased.

hoolahan, ASN, RN · Feb 23, 2003

I have to agree that money talks here. When the former Governor of PA needed a new liver, BOOM, he went straight to the top of the list. I have never seen anyone get a new liver so fast!!

LaurieCRNP2002, MSN, RN, APRN · Feb 23, 2003

Originally posted by ktwlpn
I don't believe an alien(legal or illegal) should be permitted to buy themselves an organ transplant-getting an organ while tax paying citizen of this country dies.....Furthermore-all those folks on death row could really give something back to society by becoming donors-forget the electic chair or the lethal injection-strap them to the gurney and wheel them to the OR.....And while we are at it let's do away with "life sentences" and make them all donors...Crisis solved....

I agree with this as well. In fact, in Europe, people have to "opt out" of being donors rather than "opt in", as we do here. I'm thinking that maybe we should adopt that system here. Everyone is an organ donor by default unless you choose to opt out (due to religious reasons or whatever). I think it's going to be many years before a truly viable artificial heart will be developed. At this point, LVAD's (left ventricular assist devices) are only used as "bridge therapy" for those waiting for hearts. Granted, living donors are now being used for kidneys and livers but overall, the US still has a massive shortage.

I'll be curious to hear what other people think of the "donor by default" idea

Laurie

Newly minted MSN

cactus wren · Feb 23, 2003

Actually, isn`t the rate of Hep C sky high in incarerated individuals? Don`t think I`d want a kidney from them....But , the idea if everyone being a potential donor, unless you opt out is an excellant one...Especially those folks who insist it`s not "COOL" to drive a Harley with a helmet....

sunnygirl272 · Feb 23, 2003

Originally posted by cactus wren
Actually, isn`t the rate of Hep C sky high in incarerated individuals? Don`t think I`d want a kidney from them....But , the idea if everyone being a potential donor, unless you opt out is an excellant one...Especially those folks who insist it`s not "COOL" to drive a Harley with a helmet....

hm...good point about the hep....

yes..let's make it donor by default...i like it...

tiger · Feb 23, 2003

Originally posted by cactus wren
...But , the idea if everyone being a potential donor, unless you opt out is an excellant one.......

and if you do choose not to be a donor--you will not be able to recieve an organ(should you ever need one). i think that is fair.

sunnygirl272 · Feb 23, 2003

Originally posted by tiger
and if you do choose not to be a donor--you will not be able to recieve an organ(should you ever need one). i think that is fair.

oooh..another a good idear........

Tweety, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2003

Originally posted by fergus51
Are you all putting illegal aliens in the same boat with legal immigrants? Personally, I see no difference in legal immigrants and Canadian born (or American born) citizens. If they came here legally and work legally and pay taxes, they are contributing as much, and sometimes more, than any other citizen born here. I do have a problem with illegal immigrants getting transplants here.

That said: Americans and Canadians DO go to other countries to get organs, specifically the live donor organs like kidneys. They go to Asia and buy them. Not any better than illegal aliens taking ours IMHO. It is immoral and taints the whole organ transplant issue.

Good point. That was mainly my question. Should say a king from Saudi Arabia be allowed to put himself on our list. He's not a citazen, but the organs will safe his life. Should we have an open door to American organs?

SandyB · Feb 23, 2003

I got problems w/illegal immigrants being on the list. If you are here legal, fine, get on the list.

I dunno about someone like the king of Saudi Arabia.....it gets pretty complicated there...if we did put someone like that on the list....can we add some of the citizens of Saudi as donors too? Dunno how that would work but would be more fair. Too much giving and no getting gets on my nerves and make me feel we are taken advantage of.

And I like the not willling to donate; not able to receive....pretty much where I sit for myself. I'm not comfortable w/being a donor-so I decided years ago I would not let myself receive one. I'll just plain go DNR and hospice.

bestblondRN · Feb 23, 2003

I was recently involved in a case of a brain dead woman whose family gave permission for all vital organs (including heart and lungs) to be donated. No tissue, no corneas. Interestingly, in the OR, the transplant team took only the liver, pancreas and kidneys. Heart and lungs appeared to be in good shape, so I asked the transplant coordinator why the heart and lungs were left and the reply was very vague--something along the lines of there not being time to do all the crossmatching and getting the organs where they would need to go. Now......we live within a 4 hour DRIVE of a number of large cities. This team was FLYING and I can't believe that there was no one within a 4 hour flying radius to accept those organs, especially when there are places doing heart-lung transplants within a 60-90 minute drive of the hospital. Maybe I'm wrong, but if the opportunity was there to procure those organs, why wasn't it done? Does anyone with more experience along these lines have any idea why it may have gone this way? It has bothered me for weeks now as to why it wasn't done!

Q. · Feb 23, 2003

See, and this is why I'm in favor of cloning. Cloning for organs. It's sad because there really are enough organs to go around but not enough to donate. But I can see why: the system is sick and twisted and tainted.

And BestBlonde's story is creepy. Anyone who is "educated" on transplants care to comment? It seems we have a quite few nurses on this BB who espouse this but rarely offer any information.