A Gift Of Life

10 Pages 2405 Words

icant probability that anyone of us might have to undergo an organ transplant. Arguments have been presented regarding the huge amount of money invested in this novel technique that will permit the extension of the individuals length of life in times when the problem of world overpopulation is a reality. The ethical issue of permitting commercialization of human organs should be considered; as well as the new conception of death, in which the brain is seen as a sustaining organ. The dilemma of the donation of cadavers and the psychological traumas of the donors as well as the recipients are a few of the concerns that this new technique has raised.
This issue directly or indirectly affects all of us, and that’s why this study is intended to expose the situations which present moral dilemmas. It is expected that this presentation will contribute to your understanding of this most important and relevant issue.
A geometric increase in a short span of time has been experienced in the transplantation of organs. An idea that seemed impractical in the past, has become a most significative discovery of this century. From an interesting experiment, the organ transplantation has become the ideal therapy for practically all terminal diseases that attack a sole organ system. At present, the transplantations of kidneys, heart, bone marrow, intestine, cornea, pancreas, lungs and liver are a therapeutic reality accepted by most specialists. Based on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry of May 27, 1995, it is calculated that over 100,000 transplants have been performed and according to the UNOS, of October 31, 1996, the number of patients registered was 49,223, with the majority of patients in the 18-to-49 years age range.
Dr. Santiago-Delpin defines transplantation as the act of removing a live organ from a live volunteer or from a cadaver of a recently deceased human being to introduce into another alive human ...