• UGI USER
  • May 12, 2023
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Ethical Principles

Q. What are the ethical principles that should form the basis of the system permitting organ donation and allocation? Also discuss the importance of regulation for the success of any organ transplant program.

Organ donation and ethical principles involved in it are very sensitive issues from the point of view of policy making, scientific and medical ethics and protection of the vulnerable and the weak. The principles that must inform the process of organ donations must recognise various aspects of the system:

  • A growing demand for organs
  • Factors which restrict the supply, including religious factors which curtail people from donating
  • Accessibility to organs based on requirement and economic capacity.
  • An informed consent on part of the giver or authorised persons.
  • Existence of underground market for illicit trading in organs.

Various ethical principles involved in the organ transplant are:

  • Equity in access: The system of allocation of organs has to be fair, open and transparent in order to generate compliance. People jumping the queue because they can undermines the system and creates incentive for non-compliance.
  • Consent in donation: The donation cannot take place forcefully, or without full awareness of the consequences of the donation.
  • Live donation and donation after death: While some donations are live and the donor may give consent for it., inIn case of the ones who die, it is important to take consent from them or the concerned relative so that their bodies are not misused.
  • Payment, Reward and Gifts: It is debatable whether organs donated voluntarily should be open up for sale in the market to the highest bidder. On the one hand, it does address the demand-supply problem by appropriately pricing the organ, on the other is excludes the ‘have-nots’ from the opportunity to live their life. This basically is putting a price to live, and hence is highly inequitable.

Scientific and medical ethics

  • Medical Integrity- The patients should be able to trust the doctors for the access they provide to their body and organs. It should not be merely for profit making.
  • Scientific validity, consent and approval- The scientific community should be transparent about the procedures and technology used in the transplant.

Ethical questions involved for public protection in transplantation

  • Age of the donor: The donor and the receiver both should be neither too young nor too old to receive or donate as per prescribed medical limits.
  • Related and unrelated donors: sometimes the laws permit the donations only by blood relatives. But in these conditions it becomes difficult to find donors in a small pool of donors.

Need for regulation of successful transplantation program in the following matters:

  • The protection of the weaker section of the society- who may be exploited in the organ donation market for their organs.
  • To check illegal trade in organs- so that the donations take place only within the prescribed

circumstances, for prescribed group of people and only under approved supervision.

● For regulation of the prices of the organs- something as vital as organs for the health should not become an object of blatant profit making. Thus ethical issues involved and policy regulations needed are both grave and important for the successful transplant policy.