Does it matter whose and what’s
organs are inside your body? Xenotransplantation,
the transplantation of animal organs into humans, opens up the doors to the
possibility of a world where people might be in a sense part pig! The procedure also potentially offers a
solution to the problem of organ shortages that could save enormous numbers of
lives. Many diseases such as diabetes render
enormous numbers of people in need of organ transplants who are unfortunately
sentenced to a waitlist until the organ that they need can become available to
them. Unfortunately the need for organs
is far greater then the number or organs that human are donating and so the
reality is that many people die waiting for organs that do not arrive soon enough. Transplanting animal organs has been
suggested as a potential temporary solution, to keep people alive while they
wait for human organs, and as a maybe permanent solution in the future. The procedure is controversial because many
worry that it is too dangerous to be tested on humans because in this situation
there are huge limits to how far animal trials can progress. Furthermore there is a great deal of concern
regarding whether or not potential virus that are present in animals could be
dangerous to humans undergoing transplantation Without proper human testing
this procedure will never be able to become a treatment, but there are also
many who argue that xenotransplantation should not undergo human testing
because it is unethical in the first place.
Animal organ transplants are not
ethical because animals would soon be farmed and killed for their organs. Animals of course are already abused and
killed but the xenotransplantation would make animal abuse even more
prevalent. Instead we should focus on
the huge population of people who choose not to donate their organs after they
die. If we could promote more social
responsibility we could cover the need for organs in a safer more ethical way. With human transplantation, patients would be
safer and healthier and our medically practices would be ethical.
http://biomed.brown.edu/Courses/BI108/BI108_1999_Groups/Neurotransplant_Team/Ethics/ethics.html
http://biomed.brown.edu/Courses/BI108/BI108_1999_Groups/Neurotransplant_Team/Ethics/ethics.html
1 comment:
Personally, I believe the best solution for this situation would be one where stem cell research has progressed to the point where we can grow organs specifically to be transplanted – it may seem far-fetched but it isn’t that far off. In 2011, a man in Sweden with a cancerous trachea underwent novel, emergency surgery in order to save his life. Doctors removed his trachea and replaced it with an artificial one that they developed in two days. This first permanent artificial organ was made by growing the patient’s stem cells on a manmade plastic matrix. This approach would not work for less rigid organs, but it clearly shows the potential inherent in stem cells to remedy the transplant situation.
I understand, however, that the situation is immediate and that stem cell grown replacements are still a thing of the future. So, in considering the suggestion of using animal organs as a temporary or permanent fix, I am forced to disagree with the original post. I believe that such a course of action is ethical and at least warrants some testing. I do not think that animals will be start being farmed for their organs – not any more than they are already anyway. In fact, I believe that any animal raised or the purpose of donating organs would have to be treated not only humanely, but very well. The fact that a human would eventually receive the organ would necessarily prevent the hideous treatment of animals at the hands of the fast-food industry from occurring here. They would not be filled with hormones, and they would have to live healthy, even happy lives, so that their organs at the time of death would be in the best possible shape for the intended recipient. In fact, I believe that some intervention could lead to a combination of this potential industry with the fast food industry. When an animal has its designated organ harvested, the rest could be used as a supply of food. That would mean that the amount of organs available for donation would increase, and animals in the fast food industry would have to be raised more humanely, cutting down on disgusting behavior such as cramming as many pigs as possible into a small dark room and then electrifying them to death, or raising them in such cramped quarters they never really get the chance to move.
In the end, the risks currently hypothesized still need to be tested and human trials need to be done. However, I think xenotransplantation is a situation we can all benefit from.
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/story/2011/07/Patient-gets-worlds-first-artificial-trachea/49176868/1
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