PHI-FPX3200 Assessment 4 Ethics in Health Care

Robbing the Dead: Is Organ Conscription Ethical?

Organ donation is a growing area in most countries. The process has undoubted gains and can save millions of people. However, organ donation raises moral questions based on the implications of taking organs from deceased people who do not refuse the procedure during their life. This paper addresses moral concerns surrounding policies on organ conscription. The discussion captures strategies for improving public acceptance of the process based on fairness and justice.

Moral Concerns Involving Donor Conscription

Organ shortage triggers underground illicit transactions. The crisis triggers an increase in the number of organ brokers who take advantage of illegal surgeries for economic gains. A significant population of patients on organ waiting list choose alternative and illegal means of accessing organs due to their fear of dying. The opt-in system requires informed consent from donors and family members before removing an organ and giving it to a recipient (Etheredge, 2021). One moral concern about organ conscription is the likelihood of bypassing consent. In this case, the process entails securing an organ from a deceased and providing it to chronically ill patient. On the other hand, proponents of the policy support the need to overcome organ shortage crisis by extracting organs from the deceased to save lives of thousands on the waiting list (Etheredge, 2021). While it is crucial to address the shortage, conscription violates one’s autonomy. The policy also undermines the need to uphold the dignity of a deceased’s body.

Questions about the Fairness and Justness of Organ Conscription Policy

Organ conscription is a promising option to address a country’s organ shortage. The number of individuals on national organ transplant list keeps increasing. Equally, there are multiple deaths recorded every day for individuals waiting for an organ to be available. Conscription is unfair and unjust due to the failure to accommodate the principle of informed consent of a deceased person. The policy may also deny family members the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process, including disallowing repossession of organs (Etheredge, 2021). As such, failure to ask the permission of the deceased and non-acceptance of refusal undermine individuals’ freedom of choice. Thus, the government should consider educating the public about the need for conscription and efforts adopted to uphold the dignity of a deceased person.