The Transfer of Organs and Tissues
The transfer of a tissue or organ from one portion of the body to another, or from one individual to another, or from one animal to another, is referred to as a transplant (Baillie, McGeehan, Garrett, & Garrett, 2013). The transplant procedure involves surgically removing an organ or tissue and implanting or putting it into a new body. The transplantation technique involves a donor and a recipient who must constantly be in the same location to ensure that the organ or tissue does not remain outside for an extended period of time (Baillie et al., 2013). The advance of technology has enabled the transfer of heart, lung, kidneys and the new groundbreaking would be on a brain transplant.
Types of Transplants
There are two types of transplants: renewable and non-renewable. It is determined due to the organ or tissue transplant (Baillie et al., 2013). A renewable one entails the transfer of an organ that is renewable or can be repeatedly transplanted like blood or bone marrow (Baillie et al., 2013). On the other hand, non-renewable transplants are organs that can only be transplanted once, for instance, a kidney.
Distribution of Scarce Resources
Organs for transplant are considered a scarce resource because most people are not willing to donor their organs or tissues. It is almost impossible to find an organ from a donor that matches the recipient most of the time (Baillie et al., 2013). Therefore, the situation creates an insufficient resources distribution. In most cases, this occurs due to the differences in blood types of the persons involved. Despite the advancement in drugs and medicine to reduce antigen reaction from a transplant of an organ received from a donor with a different blood type so as to tackle the resources deficiency, the fact that most people are not ready to willingly donate their organs does not allow to somehow alleviate the issue (Baillie et al., 2013).
Issues of Donors and Recipients
There are several donors and recipients issues. The major one is that there are many recipients but a limited number of donors. It creates a problem of supply and demand. The demand for organs for transplant is very high while the supply is very low (Baillie et al., 2013). Most issues of donors and recipient entail informed consent as well as the taking organs from dead donors. However, there are very few people who agree to donate their organs after death.
Ethical Principles and Concepts
The chapter discusses the ethics of transplants. It relates to the ethical issues on organ transplantation surgery and procedures. The major moral questions arise when it comes to the method and source of organs for transplants referred to as distributive justice (Baillie et al., 2013). The ethical issues entail the supply, demand and the methods of organ allocation as well as the employment of living donors as volunteers (including children). On the other hand, some living donors are using organ transplant for financial gains and exploitation of the poor. Another major ethical issue is the presumed consent, especially in the case of children. Some entrepreneurs impose on children and sell their organ for financial gain and exploitation. There are several moral questions concerning the methods of providing an acceptable appreciation for the donor as well as compensation for the family of the death donors.
Reference
Baillie, H., McGeehan, J.F., Garrett, T.M., & Garrett, R.M. (2013). Health Care Ethics (6th ed.). Chicago, IL: Pearson.
