FINAL PAPER
The paper should be a total of 5-7 pages APA formatted. In your paper, you must
provide a brief answer for each of the questions below.
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Identify and describe an ethical dilemma in a healthcare setting that you feel
strongly about. Remember that you will need to attach a newspaper link,
clipping, or another source which illustrates this ethical dilemma.
What would your desired outcome be for the ethical dilemma you’ve
selected?
Identify and describe how two (2) ethical principles apply to the ethical
dilemma.
Identify and describe how one (1) ethical theory applies to the ethical
dilemma.
Define and apply either the PYTHON principle or Doherty & Purtilo’s 6 step
process for ethical decision-making to the ethical dilemma.
Identify and apply at least one policy, either federal, state, or municipal, to the
ethical dilemma.
After applying the ethical decision-making framework, would you still
recommend the original outcome? Why or why not?
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Organ Donation and Procurement
Name
Institution
Professor
Date
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Organ Donation and Procurement
Organ donation is essential to healthcare because it can save the lives of people who
might otherwise die from organ failure. However, the lack of transplantable organs creates
significant ethical issues about autonomy, consent, and equitable distribution. This dilemma
is displayed by concerns raised by Dotinga (2022) in MedPage Today, a medical newspaper
that provides pertinent and emerging issues in healthcare. The author explores Normothermic
regional perfusion with controlled donation after circulatory death (NRP-cDCD). It entails
allowing terminal patients to die, restarting their hearts, and extracting organs from warm
corpses with heartbeats. The procedure’s proponents contend that increasing the number of
organs available for transplant is required. However, critics, such as bioethicists and the
American College of Physicians, caution that the process creates weighty ethical issues
concerning determining when a patient has passed away, showing respect for them, and
having an obligation to act morally. They also contend that doctors are stepping on the line
between life and death and that the humanity of organ donors should never be jeopardized.
The complex ethical issues surrounding organ donation, allocation, and procedures call for a
comparative evaluation of the guiding concepts and values.
Ethical Dilemma
When the deceased’s wishes about organ donation are ambiguous or when implicit
permission is taken for granted, an ethical quandary surrounding organ donation occurs.
Deciding how to distribute organs in such circumstances cannot be easy. There is debate over
whether the main factor should be profit-making or maintaining autonomy (Dotinga, 2022).
Conflicts arise between the potential advantages of organ donation and the right of the
deceased and their family to choose what to do with their body. Increased availability of
organs for transplant is essential, but it should not happen at the expense of respecting the
autonomy and preferences of the deceased and their immediate caregivers. It can be
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challenging to balance these competing ideals and factors, and doing so calls for thorough
ethical examination.
Desired Outcome
The goal of organ donation and allocation is to save as many lives as possible,
increase the supply of transplantable organs, and honor the family and desires of the
deceased. This result addresses the urgent need for more organ transplants and is consistent
with the ideals of autonomy and beneficence (Timar et al., 2021). It is essential to include
donors’ families, cultural and religious communities to ensure their goals and beliefs are
maintained.
Ethical Principles
An essential ethical rule is to respect each person’s freedom to choose their medical
care, including whether or not to donate their organs. The need to increase the number of
organs accessible for transplant can, however, collide with the autonomy concept. According
to OPTN (2015), balancing the importance of autonomy and the possible advantages of organ
donation is crucial. Fairness is another essential principle in this process, as organs should be
given equally based on medical variables, including necessity, urgency, and the possibility of
benefit. The desire to respect the intentions of the departed and their family may collide with
the idea of justice. The importance of justice must be balanced with respect for individual
autonomy.
Ethical Theory
Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that seeks to maximize benefit for the most
significant number of people. This refers to expanding the organ supply in the context of
organ donation to save more lives (Morris & Holt, 2021). However, when making ethical
decisions, one must consider the ideals of autonomy and justice in organ allocation, which
can clash with utilitarianism.
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Doherty & Purtilo Six-Step Process for Making Ethical Decisions
Making moral choices in organ allocation and donation can be facilitated using the
Doherty and Purtilo 6-Step Process. The six stages start with learning about the problem, then
recognizing the central ethical questions and defining values (Forester-Miller & Davis, 2016).
The fourth step is looking for alternatives, deciding, and acting. Making decisions while
following this method ensures all ethical considerations are considered.
Policy
Organ donation and transplantation in the US are governed under the National Organ
Transplant Act (NOTA). It distributes organs based primarily on medical considerations and
forbids the sale of organs to prevent exploitation (organdonor.gov., 2021). Although NOTA
has effectively prevented exploitation, its shortcomings must be acknowledged when
discussing the moral concerns surrounding organ donation and allocation.
The Process of Writing This Outline
The desired result is to honor the preferences of the deceased and their family, strike a
balance between the ethical principles of autonomy and beneficence, and solve the urgent
need for more organs available for transplant. Although this result is a noble objective,
implementing it might be difficult due to the intricacy of the ethical issues involved. Due to
the extreme organ shortage, it is occasionally wholly impossible. This makes it impossible to
distribute organs based solely on medical criteria appropriately. In these circumstances,
giving some patients priority over others is essential, which may go against the justice
concept. Despite the difficulties in solving the dilemma, I would still retain the writing
process as it explains why medical professionals and policymakers must continue to examine
and address the ethical issues involved in organ donation and allocation. This is crucial to
ensure decisions are made with the utmost care and thoughtfulness.
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References
Dotinga, R. (2022). No Brain Death? No Problem. New Organ Transplant Protocol Stirs
Debate. MedPage Today. Retrieved 3 June 2023 from
https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/100950
Timar, J., Bleil, M., Daly, T., Koomar, S., Hasz, R., & Nathan, H. (2021). Successful
strategies to increase organ donation: the Gift of Life Donor Program Philadelphia
model. Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 37(Suppl 3), 380-394.
https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs12055-021-01219-9
OPTN. (2015). Ethics – Ethical Principles in the Allocation of Human Organs. Organ
Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Retrieved 3 June 2023 from
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/professionals/by-topic/ethical-considerations/ethicalprinciples-in-the-allocation-of-humanorgans/#:~:text=Utility%2C%20justice%2C%20and%20respect%20for,of%20scarce
%20organs%20for%20transplantation.
Morris, J., & Holt, J. (2021). Applying utilitarianism to the presumed consent system for
organ donation to consider the moral pros and cons. British Journal of Nursing,
30(19), 1127-1131.https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2021.30.19.1127
Forester-Miller, H., & Davis, T. E. (2016). Practitioner’s guide to ethical decision making
(Rev. ed.). Retrieved 3 June 2023 from http://www.counseling.org/docs/defaultsource/ethics/practioner’s-guide-toethical-decision-making.pdf
organdonor.gov. (2021). Organ Donation Legislation and Policy. Health Resources and
Services. Retrieved 3 June 2023 from
Administrationhttps://www.organdonor.gov/about-us/legislationpolicy#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20Congress%20passed%20the,to%20match%20organs
%20and%20individuals.
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