Michael Anderson
Save a Life; Become an Organ Donor
The advancement of modern medical science in the last few decades has been astounding.
With the advent of modern medicine and medical practices, human beings are defying nature and
living much longer, healthier lives. More specifically, humans are able to recover from injuries
or diseases that have been fatal in the past. A major reason for this success is the process of
organ transplants and organ donation. Current medical technology allows doctors to take organs
from the recently deceased and use them to save the lives of people who are suffering from organ
failure. This is only possible because the deceased person gave consent to have their organs
donated. Unfortunately, not all people sign up to be organ donors when they have the option to
do so. Though these people claim that organ donation is “unnatural” and “playing God,”
everyone should sign up to be an organ donor because it saves thousands of lives each year, it
allows humans to enjoy an increased lifespan, and people have no use for their organs once they
have died.
Organ failure is a problem that thousands of people face each and every year. For a long
time, there was no real treatment or solution for people facing organ failure, and therefore the
mortality rate of organ failure was quite high. Now, the marvel of organ transplantation allows
these individuals suffering from organ failure a chance at survival. “Organ transplantation can be
lifesaving for patients with organ failure.” (Stevens, 2008) This medical miracle is only possible
however because of the donation of the organs used in transplants. Without any organ donors,
these transplants would not be possible despite all of the technology and knowledge doctors
wield today. Thankfully, many people do consent to being organ donors, but still not enough to
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meet the demand. There is still a discrepancy in the number of solid organs that are available for
transplant. (Gilligan, 2012) “Thousands of… patients may die because there are not enough
donated organs to meet the demand.” (Stevens, 2008). It is imperative that more people sign up
to become organ donors in order to help the thousands of individuals suffering from organ
failure.
Not only are lives saved by organ donation, but they are also improved. The wide array of
organs that can be donated is astounding. Kidneys, livers, hearts, lungs, corneas, intestines, and
pancreases are the most common organ transplants (Stevens, 2008), but there are still more
organs that can be transplanted as medical technology improves. A majority of these are vital for
humans to survive, but some of these organs merely improve the quality of life for transplant
patients. Organs like corneas, cochleas, and bones are not necessary to save a person’s life, but
they do make a person’s quality of life much better. These types of transplants can return a
person’s ability to see, hear, or move. These transplants also don’t need to occur in the disabled;
the elderly can receive such donations, and as a result many people enjoy a longer lifespan. With
more people becoming organ donors, the idea of living a better, longer life becomes available to
all.
Despite all of these positive results of organ donation, many people still do not sign up to
be donors. This is ridiculous, because when a person dies, they have no need of their organs.
This means that for every non-donor who dies, they waste a complete set of organs that could
have been used to help several other people who are still alive. One could even go so far as to
say that people who don’t consent to donate their organs after their death are selfish. It all comes
down to a question of ethics; which is more important, bodily integrity or human solidarity?
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G. R. Dunstan describes the concept of bodily integrity like this: “Our bodies are unique,
individual instruments by which we live, in reflection, expression, action, reception, relation.
Bodily integrity, therefore, must be protected: we count it a wrong to kill, to harm, to abuse, to
mutilate the human body; even to denigrate or disvalue it. That wrong can also be, in terms of
law a crime, in terms of religion a sin.” (1997) While some people find this explanation to make
sense, it really does not outweigh the needs of those awaiting organ transplants. Regardless of a
person’s religion, all people can agree that once a person dies his or her body is useless. This
being the case, how can such a religious argument be built?
In conclusion, there are thousands of people every year who could benefit greatly from
receiving an organ transplant. It is not possible to help these people unless there is an increase in
the number of available organs, and therefore an increase in organ donors. With more donors
thousands of lives could be saved each year, length and quality of life would increase for all
people, and perfectly good organs would not be wasted upon death. Any question of morality
pales in comparison in comparison to the universal good brought about by organ donation.
Everyone benefits if more people consent to being organ donors.
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Bibliography
Dunstan, G. R. "The Ethics of Organ Donation." British medical bulletin 53.4 (1997): 921. Print.
Gilligan, Conor, Robert William Sanson-Fisher, and Heidi Turon. "The Organ Donation
Conundrum." Progress in transplantation (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) 22.3 (2012): 312. Print.
Stevens, Lise M., Cassio Lynm, and Richard M. Glass. "Organ Donation." JAMA: The Journal
of the American Medical Association 299.2 (2008): 244. Print.
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