Ethics of the Sale of Body Parts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 3

Ethics of the Sale of Body Parts - Essay Example Becoming an organ donor is very simple as it is a choice offered when registering to vote, getting or renewing a driver’s license or ID card or placing this in your living will in most states. Laws pertaining to organ donation have been created in order to make the process one which does not discriminate and one which is available to all patients meeting specific health criteria rather than socio-economic status, ethnicity, or gender. Current Laws and Policy Regarding Organ Donation Unfortunately the supply of available organ us far from meeting current demands. It is estimated that over 90,000 people are on waiting lists and many have sought new and creative initiatives in order to increase the supply of organs (Georgetown Edu,2012). This field is still one of the most regulated fields in medical care. While there are federal laws there are also state laws which may be more specific or defined in policy. Those facilities who perform transplants are members or the Organ Procur ement Organization and as such have standards and policy which must be followed. Facilities which participate are considered a ‘host’ and are responsible for properly identifying, maintain and evaluating donors (HRSA, 2012). Authorization must be obtained and the organ must be properly handled to ensure it remains viable. In evaluating potential donors death must be pronounced and the donor's medical history must be screened for factors that would affect the function of the organ. There are very specific screening procedures for each organ or tissue which rules out many potential donors. Host facilities must participate in the sharing of the waiting list of candidates for the organ transplant. Referrals must come from specialty units and those placed on the waiting list are screened and rated with a priority. In order to prevent preferential treatment organs which are procured from transplant must be handled by a facility other than the one where the organ is to be rece ived. Those who are non-citizens of the United States may also be referred for the organ transplant. Policy prevents discrimination and in these cases, adherence to the policy preventing discrimination is to be followed. All potential donors a panel of tests are administered which include information such as electrolytes, serological testing, hepatitis screening, chest x-rays and numerous more. Each organ or tissue has more specified and specialized screening processes. Kidney donations must meet a defined matrix which includes factors such as age and creatinine. A history of hypertension will be evaluated and the cause of death must also be considered carefully. Blood types must match when transplanting kidneys and those with a zero-antigen match are usually selected first from the pool of candidates as they are less likely to experience total organ rejection. Information such as this is shared within Unit which is a compilation of all donors on the waiting list. Kidneys are one of the most transplanted organs with high success rates (HRSA-2, 2012). Kidneys are shared first to the most suitable local matches; if there are none then regions are defined which are next allocated the kidney; if a recipient is not found with the region a match is sought nationally. Liver transplant patients are scored with a different system weighs their mortality risk against the medical urgency of their condition. Candidates are assigned a status with points given for factors such as creatinine, bilirubin, age, stage of liver failure, renal failure, and Glasgow coma.