2008 Woodie Awards
To Give or Not to Give: Moral Dilemnas of Organ Donation
Elie Lowenstein
Issue date: 3/29/05 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 3 next >
Ten days after Joshua Sayers was born on September 2, 2000, he was diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis, an acquired disease primarily found in premature infants or newborns, in which intestinal tissue dies. Over the next few weeks, following several unsuccessful surgeries, Joshua's doctors determined that he needed a new liver and small intestine to survive. Joshua was placed on the national transplant list. Months passed, with Joshua's family eagerly waiting for a call that never came. Joshua died 14 months after his birth, because an organ could not be found.
March celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the first successful organ transplant, but major questions still riddle the medical marvel. An organ is a part of the body having a special function as part of an integrated living system. When one's organs fail, whether due to injury or disease, a transplated organ from another individual is often the only means of survival. One of the most severe problems in the field of organ transplantation is the lack of available donors. Today, those wishing to give up organs upon dying or even while alive (a person can give up one kidney, for example, and still live), may do so legally. Sadly, this altruist-based system does not adequately supply the current demand for organs.
Like Joshua, more than 6,000 people die each year because they do not receive the organs they need. This averages out to about sixteen people a day who die waiting for an organ transplant! In fact, every 13 minutes, a name is added to the national transplant waiting list, resulting in a very long list of candidates in need of healthy organs. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 75 percent of people said they would be willing to donate their organs, yet fewer than 50 percent of potential donors act accordingly. Current statistics acknowledge that 75,000 Americans are waiting for organs, but that demand outweighs supply three to one.
March celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the first successful organ transplant, but major questions still riddle the medical marvel. An organ is a part of the body having a special function as part of an integrated living system. When one's organs fail, whether due to injury or disease, a transplated organ from another individual is often the only means of survival. One of the most severe problems in the field of organ transplantation is the lack of available donors. Today, those wishing to give up organs upon dying or even while alive (a person can give up one kidney, for example, and still live), may do so legally. Sadly, this altruist-based system does not adequately supply the current demand for organs.
Like Joshua, more than 6,000 people die each year because they do not receive the organs they need. This averages out to about sixteen people a day who die waiting for an organ transplant! In fact, every 13 minutes, a name is added to the national transplant waiting list, resulting in a very long list of candidates in need of healthy organs. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 75 percent of people said they would be willing to donate their organs, yet fewer than 50 percent of potential donors act accordingly. Current statistics acknowledge that 75,000 Americans are waiting for organs, but that demand outweighs supply three to one.