The author defines several definitions in progression in this narrative from the brain death, “beating-heart cadaver” and organ donor. The main point for me is, that if we make an early decision to be a donor, the death actually can be transformed to something extraordinary and gives live. “To be able, as a dead person, to make a gift of this magnitude is phenomenal.” (27) Roach appeals everyone to consider saving lives not only no loves ones, but to a stranger.…
Cultures have different views and traditions about death, and there have been significant debates about the determination of death by neurologic criteria. The acceptance and diagnosis of brain death originates from the Ad Hoc Committee of Harvard Medical School, whom “declared unilaterally that individuals in a state of ‘irreversible coma’… could be declared dead” (2). This concept on death and the role of healthcare providers extends beyond the medical world, as recent development has made it possible to pro-long life through resuscitative and support measures. As a result, it has legally redefined death by setting brain-death, rather than cessation of heart and lung function, as the standard for death. The reluctance in Japan to practice organ harvesting is influenced by their traditional values, which Lock depicts from a case in which a physician “was arrested for murder” following attempts to perform a heart transplant in Sapporo, Hokkaido (8).…
One of the hardest decisions a family with someone who is brain dead has to make is when to stop providing life support. The main purpose of life support is to keep the body alive but, if they are brain dead are they really alive? Huffington Post editorialist, Liz Sabo, explores the differences between states of consciousness and brain death in her post,”The Ethics Of Being Brain Dead: Doctors And Bioethicists Discuss Jahi McMath And Marlise Munoz”. Sabo looks at the different types of treatment for the types of different states of consciousness in order to show that a brain dead person is no longer considered alive.…
For any medical procedure, the must be consent from each person involved in order for the procedure to be considered ethical. Saunders points out that “it is generally accepted that it is wrong to take someone’s organs without their consent.” Many people suggest that an opt-out system, working from the standpoint of “presumed consent”. This form of consent raises controversy as it suggests consent to be a mental attitude, when many people would agree that consent must be shown in the form of an action instead. Presumed consent suggests the idea that people’s silence in an opt-out system (not opting out of being an organ donor), can be assumed as their consent, and thus, we can use their organs accordingly when the time comes.…
The principle of autonomy makes provisions that are continually being ignored when the use of unclaimed bodies is being made a major part in the study of anatomical perspectives in medicine. Anatomical dissection is an honored part of medical education, therefore, ethical uncertainties need to be addressed. However, similarly to the use of human tissue for research, the use of human cadavers for training and teaching purposes remains to be a valuable gift that needs to be ethically and legally appreciated. Ethical considerations revolve around the value placed on the human body and the attitudes of the society towards the dead body. This is because a person is closely identified with his or her body and the two cannot be separated even after death.…
Organ donation is an amazing part of modern technology that has allowed us to save many lives. Unfortunately, finding organs that are available for donation can be very challenging. This has caused some to theorise about the possibility of organ conscription after death. In this essay, I will be critically assessing the statement `the needs of the living outweigh the wishes of the dead; so organs should be conscripted after death’. I will begin by clarifying what I mean by the terms organ conscription and death, and what the parameters around donation are.…
Since many people are unaware of organ donation, it is up to nurses and other health care professionals to advocate for the community. According to the World Health Organization, “Advocacy is a combination of individual and social actions designed to gain political and community support for a particular goal. Action may be taken by, or on behalf of, individuals and groups to create living conditions which promote health”(WHO, 2005). Without advocacy the community is unaware of the effects that is has on one individual’s life.…
With the shortage of organs available for donation, the criteria to consider a body for donation has changed from “brain death” to “circulatory death”, making organs available sooner. This change in practice has caused ethical dilemmas among the healthcare environment. In a “2006 study found that some perioperative nurses did not accept the irreversibility of cardiac death” (37). A nurse is trained to save lives, and this practice goes against that notion. A nurse must set aside her own personal views and help the family exercise their right to the choices that they…
The Dead Donor Rule Organ donors can be either alive or deceased at the time of donation. Deceased donors will be pronounced dead per cessation of either brain or circulatory activity. The dead donor rule not part of any legislation moreover it is a governing ethical guideline which states that a donor must be pronounced death prior to the removal of life -sustaining organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys (Veatch and Ross, 2015). Ethical concerns pertaining death surround the definition of death and the irreversibility of the process of dying. The diagnostic measures that are mandatory for pronouncing a patient brain dead, include tests for the responsivity of the cerebrum and the brain stem.…
There are several ethical principles today due to the numerous problems facing organ transplantation. According to Butt and Rich (2013), the main issue with…
THE NEXT BREATH – WHO DECIDES? PATIENT, DOCTOR, LAW OR GOD? An examination of the ethical dilemmas presented in end of life issues Introduction…
When a patient is already in degenerating health that will lead to death, the harvesting of their organs can be more efficiently achieved before circulatory death. While death will occur because of the withdrawal of life support in patients with terminally ill conditions like PVS and persistent coma, the DDR does not condone the withdrawal of life support via organ harvesting. Although the life saving organs harvested from a terminally ill patient would be much more viable and better utilized if harvested before the withdrawal of life support, the western medical philosophy prevents the best utilization of an unfortunate…
I will also discuss the implications of brain death as it relates to organ donation. Is Brain Death Really Death? The term “brain death” is relatively new to the practice of medicine. Until the 1950s when mechanical life support became a reality, doctors did not use the term “brain dead.” A patient was either alive or dead.…
A loved one 's heart no longer pumps blood and his brain no longer functions, yet he still lies on a frigid bed seemingly lost in the sea of hospital covers. An apathetic machine pumps blood for him, impersonating the warmth of life. Even though he looks alive, the patient is pronounced brain dead, a commonly devastating tragedy for families across the country. However, positive effects can come from this terrible disaster. A brain dead individual can donate his organs to save the life of another.…