Organ Transplants Essay Example

Living in a world with modern medicine since the 18th century alongside advanced technology, there is no doubt that organ transplants can save one’s life. In December 1954, the first successful organ transplant was orchestrated by Dr Joseph Murray and Dr David Hume in Boston, USA, since then, the world of medicine was revolutionized. However, although over 100,000 organs are transplanted each year, there are simply not enough organs available to meet the existing need. This puts the lives of thousands at risk, their names written at the bottom of a lengthy waiting list. Though some may argue that mandatory post-mortem organ transplants violate free will and religious beliefs, the truth is that there are simply too many lives at risk. Post-Mortem Organ donations should be mandatory because thousands of lives would be saved, organ donations allow for medical breakthroughs and it would curb the selling of organs on the black market.

Post-Mortem organ donations should be mandatory due to the thousands of lives that would be saved. According to the HRSA, over 109 000 men, women and children are awaiting a transplant with 20 people passing everyday due to shortage. This is an absurd, yet avoidable amount since one donor can save up to 8 lives. Only around 58% of Americans are registered organ donors, indicating that the 42% that isn’t could save thousands of lives. “I would say to people: ‘Put yourself in the shoes of someone waiting for a transplant.’ If you are willing to accept an organ donation, it is only right that you should be willing to donate the special gift of life to another family.” Says O’Sullivan, a mother whose child died at only 4 years old. Making post-mortem organ donations mandatory would drastically decrease the number of deaths and complications linked to the shortage of organs and the number of lives saved would skyrocket. For these reasons organ donations should be mandatory 

Organ donations allow for medical breakthroughs and are responsible for multiple medical advances in modern medicine. Such discoveries are crucial towards improving our society’s overall quality of life. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine strongly encourages body organ and tissue donations due to their direct connection with medical advances in diseases such as Alzeihmers, cancer, heart disease and Parkinson’s disease. "People need to understand that these organs will still be used in a way that saves lives and advances medicine," says Roni Lawrence, clinical manager at the UW Health Organ Procurement Organization. "The future of transplant medicine really depends on research, and organs are imperative to that research."For those who may suffer from a rare disease, mandatory post-mortem organ donations offer the potential of saving thousands of lives through the knowledge gained from them.

The act of mandatorizing post-mortem organ donations would curb the selling of organs on the black market. The Organ Black Market (OBM) is existent due to a system of desperation on both sides of the transaction. It’s widely present worldwide, but more specifically invading third world countries where one’s name written at the bottom of a lengthy list is simply a death sentence, and even in the case of finally achieving the number 1 spot, affording it is an issue of its own, prices can skyrocket to hundreds of thousands of dollars that no one can afford. The offering of an available organ at a cheaper price widely forfeits the illegality and morality of the action however, such operations carry life threatening risks as conditions of such surgeries are often unsanitary, sloppily performed and offer poor pre operational care. “ (...) Demand is created by buyers who need an organ transplant and are on lists that require them to wait their turn in a legitimate marketplace that relies on voluntary donations. Many people fear that their wait times might exceed their lifetimes, and they are often correct.” Explains Kevin Martin, a researcher in the subject. Furthermore, there are multiple existent ties between sex trafficking and the OBM, in which cases are not sold consensually but robbed from victims implicated forcefully of such networks. Post-mortem organ donations should be mandatory as it would raise the number of available organs resulting in a decrease in wait time for these operations therefore reducing the need and search for organs that are illegally harvested from the black market, ensuring the patients therefore with a safe surgical environment.   

They’re are many arguments in favor of maintaining our organ donor registration as is. Some may argue that mandatory post-mortem organ donations would go against the principle of freewill, but a person is not their body, which is simply flesh, bones and blood, what makes someone themselves is their mind and their ability to function. Post-mortem, that aspect of one’s self is gone, therefore the rights of a person are gone as well, along with the person. This idea is supported strongly by religion in which the soul is often told to leave the body after death.  This directly leads to  another argument: others may also argue that mandatory post-mortem organ donations would violate certain religious beliefs. This statement is however false as no religion formally forbids donation or receipt of organs or is against transplantation from living or deceased donors. However, it is true that certain religions such as Native Americans, Roma Gypsies, Confucians, Shintoists, and some Orthodox rabbis discourage the practice though are not formally against it. The people following these beliefs make up a small amount of the overall population and so if they were to be excluded from the mandatory post-mortem laws it would not make a big difference.  

The possibility that organ donations might save a life far outweighs any contradictory reason against it, therefore post-mortem organ donations should be mandatory, omitting certain exceptions such as religious beliefs.  Such a system would save thousands of lives, would allow for medical breakthroughs and would curb the selling of organs on the black market. It is important for each person to start taking responsibility and to educate themselves on the current organ donation system. Too many people preventable deaths still happen everyday and everyone holds the power to take action. Life is a gift and everyone should be generous enough to share it.