ethics of organ donation

Question 1

why is there are need for an increase in the supply of organs

Answer 1

only enough kidneys for a quarter of people needing them

in the UK 5,500 people are awaiting transplant

Question 2

why do the authors believe there is hypocrisy in the current situation

Answer 2

everyone is paid except for the donors

when donors take the biggest hardship

Question 3

what are the risks of live donation

Answer 3

relatively low
short term morbidity of 20% and mortality of 0.03%
no greater risk of developing renal failure than general population

Question 4

what are the benefits of living organ donation

Answer 4

better prognosis than cadaveric donation

transplantation is cheaper than dialysis

Question 5

outline a model of donation suggested by the authors

Answer 5

confined to a country
only those in the state could donate or receive
only one purchaser e.g. the NHS
no direct sales or purchases
no exploitation of low income countries
organs would be tested and their provenance known
strict controls and penalties