An Altruistic Approach to Saving a Life Must Not Endanger The Well-Being of Another.
The thought of watching a loved one struggling as a vital organ diminishes can perhaps be just as difficult for some as actually experiencing it first-hand. Adding a sense of desperation to this unfortunate experience is the fact that the waiting list continues to grow exponentially larger than the list of matched viable donors. In fact, more will die waiting than those that will be selected for organ transplantation. Based on an article written by Samadi (2012), by March of 2012 there were 113,115 patients waiting for organ availability (para. 2). Considering the number of patients on the waiting list is without a doubt an eye opening statistic that only …show more content…
Kidneys are the most commonly sought after organ and according to the National Kidney Foundation (2015), a majority of the recipients waiting for lifesaving organs, 101,662 are kidney transplant recipients. The United States, reflected in these statistics, helps to put into perspective the need as it is seen on a global scale. The National Kidney Foundation (2015) also notes that in 2014 there were 17,105 transplants in which 11,570 were from deceased donors. Considering the number of recipients that do not find a viable donation, the desperation to seek alternative methods outside of legal donation methods becomes more tangible. Paguirigan (2012) discusses a program of brokerage or “kidney vendors” in the Philippines from 2002 to 2008 when it was then banned, but all indications suggests it still exists today (pg. 107, para. 2). Not due to altruistic donation, but rather the profit continues to keep many of these businesses in operation around the …show more content…
Goodwin (2011) conveys this issue of organ demand outweighing supply not just in the United States, but worldwide and commends Iran for legalizing organ compensation as it has brought a sense of equilibrium (pg. 829, para. 1). Iran is one of the few countries that has a legalized organ compensation system in place today. Many that are opposed to illegal compensated organ donation, suggest that Iran should be used as a model for the rest of the world. Major (2008) notes that Iran’s governmental-organized system called the Dialysis and Transplant Patients Association (DTPA) had almost doubled transplants within the first year it was established in 1988 (pg. 67, para. 6). Iran has not released enough information to the medical world, however, as to what the actual impact on the organ waiting list, this system has had. Major (2008) goes on to add that an important problem with the system is the human leucocyte antigen (HLA) matching of tissues, which is necessary to prevent host rejection, is not routinely performed (pg. 68, para 1). This provides a great point to investigate how a system can be improved for implementation, especially if it is to alleviate the dangers of a system that is currently not
The thought of watching a loved one struggling as a vital organ diminishes can perhaps be just as difficult for some as actually experiencing it first-hand. Adding a sense of desperation to this unfortunate experience is the fact that the waiting list continues to grow exponentially larger than the list of matched viable donors. In fact, more will die waiting than those that will be selected for organ transplantation. Based on an article written by Samadi (2012), by March of 2012 there were 113,115 patients waiting for organ availability (para. 2). Considering the number of patients on the waiting list is without a doubt an eye opening statistic that only …show more content…
Kidneys are the most commonly sought after organ and according to the National Kidney Foundation (2015), a majority of the recipients waiting for lifesaving organs, 101,662 are kidney transplant recipients. The United States, reflected in these statistics, helps to put into perspective the need as it is seen on a global scale. The National Kidney Foundation (2015) also notes that in 2014 there were 17,105 transplants in which 11,570 were from deceased donors. Considering the number of recipients that do not find a viable donation, the desperation to seek alternative methods outside of legal donation methods becomes more tangible. Paguirigan (2012) discusses a program of brokerage or “kidney vendors” in the Philippines from 2002 to 2008 when it was then banned, but all indications suggests it still exists today (pg. 107, para. 2). Not due to altruistic donation, but rather the profit continues to keep many of these businesses in operation around the …show more content…
Goodwin (2011) conveys this issue of organ demand outweighing supply not just in the United States, but worldwide and commends Iran for legalizing organ compensation as it has brought a sense of equilibrium (pg. 829, para. 1). Iran is one of the few countries that has a legalized organ compensation system in place today. Many that are opposed to illegal compensated organ donation, suggest that Iran should be used as a model for the rest of the world. Major (2008) notes that Iran’s governmental-organized system called the Dialysis and Transplant Patients Association (DTPA) had almost doubled transplants within the first year it was established in 1988 (pg. 67, para. 6). Iran has not released enough information to the medical world, however, as to what the actual impact on the organ waiting list, this system has had. Major (2008) goes on to add that an important problem with the system is the human leucocyte antigen (HLA) matching of tissues, which is necessary to prevent host rejection, is not routinely performed (pg. 68, para 1). This provides a great point to investigate how a system can be improved for implementation, especially if it is to alleviate the dangers of a system that is currently not