Ethics question
Pretend I want to donate a liver. Also pretend I absolutely can not stand white people and I will only agree to donate my liver to a patient if the patient is not white. Should this be allowed? What if the hospital refuses my request and as a result, I pull my liver off of the donations list. Would the hospital or I be more responsible for a patient's death.
People discriminate all the time by donating their organs to loved ones and that's acceptable. In this hypothetical case, it's me wanting to donate to the organ registry with the only caveat being no white people, so replace "donating to my loved one" with "donating to no white people". What makes this ethically different? In both cases, I am donating based on preference and not need.
Just some ethics questions to get peoples' blood boiling
15 Comments • Newest first
What about organs for sale.
From a purely utilitarian standpoint, I think it should be allowed. Organ donation is still not as socially acceptable as we'd all like it to be, so letting people choose how they donate can be a way of sweetening the deal for people who are on the edge. Then, as more and more people start signing up for decision-based organ donations, we can start thinking about opening it up to a need-based system.
While I don't agree with it, there shouldn't be any issues technically since it is your organ.
[quote=aznseal]What if instead of no white people, I want to donate to another Chinese person. My bond with that person is that we both have the same background. Would that be different?[/quote]
it's still unethical. but it doesn't change the fact that it's the person's organ and that he/she can do whatever he/she wants with it.
[quote=Pkmnkingz]When you donate to a loved one, it's because you know them personally and share a bond with them. That is a valid reason. When you choose not to donate to a white person, you are judging them solely on the colour of his/her skin, something he/she was born with and cannot change. That is not a valid reason.[/quote]
What if instead of no white people, I want to donate to another Chinese person. My bond with that person is that we both have the same background. Would that be different?
@aznseal: I count the days my friends still alive.
Why the racism?
When you donate to a loved one, it's because you know them personally and share a bond with them. That is a valid reason. When you choose not to donate to a white person, you are judging them solely on the colour of his/her skin, something he/she was born with and cannot change. That is not a valid reason.
[quote=xdarkshynobi]While you're alive you should have control over your organs, as a dead or dying person probably has no choose to whom will receive his or hers life saving parts. Probably if you hired a lawyer, you could get away with it. I just don't see this as a issues to you. If the person dies due to a decision you made. It would still be in your right to deny that person. I would say no one is at fault.
Shot since your a major in the health department, what do you think about a patient who has been told they have 5 years to live, but has "passed" the time frame. When do you think he'll die? Patient is having complications with his liver, and is on dialysis.[/quote]
No one can say. There's too many factors. Different people have different responses to medication, the cirrhosis can progress at different rates, idk.
@ClementZ: Different people argue differently for organ donations. Some people argue it should be need based without discrimination. Some people argue it should be preference based because the donor should have control over his body. Some people are in the middle. Some people think it's fine to "discriminate" by donating their liver to a less sick loved one instead of a more sick stranger. With that said, wouldn't choosing to donate to people of a certain demographic and refusing others be discrimination as well? It is discrimination IMO. So I just think it's interesting how humans rationalize discrimination based on situations where as based on deontology or utilitarianism, it's the same.
Why would you donate to a loved one who didn't need a liver?
I feel like I'm missing the point you're trying to make here.
While you're alive you should have control over your organs, as a dead or dying person probably has no choose to whom will receive his or hers life saving parts. Probably if you hired a lawyer, you could get away with it. I just don't see this as a issues to you. If the person dies due to a decision you made. It would still be in your right to deny that person. I would say no one is at fault.
Shot since your a major in the health department, what do you think about a patient who has been told they have 5 years to live, but has "passed" the time frame. When do you think he'll die? Patient is having complications with his liver, and is on dialysis.
sure why not. A liver is a liver. there'll be other livers for white people
I don't think that should be allowed, but it's no one's fault if someone dies because you decided to take it off for donation.
Honestly, I think most people wouldn't mind if someone just wanted to donate their organ to a white person because donation is donation, but that hospital will probably get a bad rep for allowing such things to be carried about. o-o"
it's their organ, they can technically do whatever they want with it.
whether it's ethical or not. there's no doubt it's unethical
The issue stops where donating is introduced.
Donation is purely voluntary. For whatever reason you choose not to donate, it's still your decision alone.
No one can logically take blame fault for the patient's death. If blame were placed on you for not voluntarily taking place in a purely optional altruistic action, then by the exact same rules, so would everyone else who chose not to donate their liver.