The Good, the Bad, and the Organ Transplant Policies

Although organ transplants have the potential to save countless lives, that policies can appear subjective and organs are constantly in shortage leads to much conflict. Transplant policies often depend on such “requirements” as geographic location, age, expected life span, time on waiting list, quality of life, etc. but the emphasis placed on each of these “requirements” can vary. Furthermore, many of these “requirements” are not quantitative: how does one assign value to someone’s quality of life? Someone’s contributions to society? Someone’s potential future contributions to society? Which “requirements” should be valued most?

In addition to issues regarding transplant policy, the largest problem with organ transplants is the scarcity of donated organs. If donated organs were in surplus, issues regarding transplant policies would likely not exist as everyone on the waiting list would be able to receive the much needed organ. We have already discussed black markets and whether people should be allowed to sell their organs. Should the government, however, be allowed to dictate how people donate their organs? For example, should the government be allowed to require citizens to donate certain organs (i.e. a single kidney) to save people? The government already reserves the right to draft people during times of war and thus somewhat reserves the right to donate lives. Obviously many would be opposed to the government requiring that a person donate an organ but what about required blood donations? Or required bone marrow donations? Should the government provide incentives for people to donate their organs or would such a policy be viewed as coercion?

Although I do not feel the government should be allowed to dictate the actions of individuals, I feel the government should be allowed to provide incentives to organ donors and should be allowed to require annual blood donations. Countless lives could be saved if more people donated blood, and since people can constantly produce blood (unlike organs), they would be losing minimally if the government implemented policies requiring citizens to donate blood.

Source:

http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/t980618a.html