Essay on the Cause and Effect of Low Organ Donation in The USA – ENG 106

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Essay on the Cause and Effect of Low Organ Donation in The USA – ENG 106

At any one moment in the United States, more than 150,000 people are on the transplant waiting list, but only around 15,000 of them get life-saving organs. This means that up to 90% of those on the transplant waiting list will not get the organs they need. Every day, up to 22 persons die as a result of medical disorders that may have been treated with donor organs.

Low organ donations and a scarcity of donors have been blamed for this condition of things. The dilemma is made worse by the fact that the United States has laws prohibiting the sale of organs. Many nations, in fact, have similar laws. This has produced a unique scenario that will only deteriorate if organ donations are not expanded, since the present demand much outnumbers the supply (Flescher, 2018; Kaserman & Barnett, 2002). As a result, the United States must create more aggressive procurement techniques for transplant organs.

According to estimates, up to 85% of the American population is willing to give their organs. They are, however, unaware of their alternatives, and the majority of them die before making the decision to become donors. Through public awareness campaigns that inform potential donors about the ability to save and extend lives by donating organs, Americans can be made aware that because up to 80% of those on the waiting list will not be able to receive lifesaving organs, making donations even after death could save lives.

Publicity campaigns should be handled in a way that appeals to prospective donors’ hearts and humanitarian nature, making them feel driven to make gifts (Flescher, 2018). To be more specific, existing public relations strategies must be criticized since they are often used in the emergency department when a prospective donor is very ill or brain dead. In reality, the exposure is insensitive since it occurs at a time when family and loved ones are experiencing emotional difficulty as a result of the death of a loved one. When addressed at a time of mourning, most family members would decline to donate the organs of a loved one (Goodwin, 2006).

Essay on the Cause and Effect of Low Organ Donation in The USA – ENG 106.

Instead of waiting until a prospective donor is in an urgent condition, public awareness initiatives can target healthy people. This would give prospective donors ample time to think about their options and make sensible judgments that are consistent with their generous nature. Most donors are motivated by the prospect of living on via organ recipients even after death so that someone would always be grateful to them for saving a life (Veatch & Ross, 2015).

It is clear that finding ways to recruit organ donors remains a challenge in the United States. The majority of the population is unaware of the form and how to donate. Organ donation is usually linked with live donors, and most people are unaware that they may still give part of their organs after death. The government has attempted to solve this issue by establishing an opt-in system that permits people to donate their organs after they die. This requires donors to enter their information from their driver’s license into the national organ donation registry. They have enrolled 28% of the US population, which is a remarkable feat but, however, has done nothing to relieve the 90% organ shortage.

To close the huge gap between organ supply and demand, more innovative thinking is needed, such as a first-person-authorization consent that makes the decision to become a postmortem donor legally obligatory as an advance directive or living will (Tsouflas, 2018). The truth is that organ donation rates are quite low. Perhaps it’s time to revisit the organ trading and selling ban, or perhaps consider offering incentives. Despite the fact that these alternatives provide chances for ethical misuse, the existing trends do not bode well for organ donation.

While the United States is currently grappling with the possibility of organ trading and sale being used to exploit the impoverished, other nations, such as Iran, have already begun. In Iran, kidney sales average about $1,200 per organ. As a consequence, there is a large rise in supply to meet demand, as well as an ever-present reserve, eliminating the potential of a shortage. When seen as an economic operation, Iran’s organ trade today follows supply and demand principles, with major safeguards in place to prevent exploitation (Fry-Revere, 2014; Satel, 2008).

Essay on the Cause and Effect of Low Organ Donation in The USA – ENG 106.

With the high number of people dying while waiting for an organ transplant in the United States and Iran’s excellent organ trade outcomes, it may be time for the US lawmakers to seriously explore rewarding organ donation to improve supply. Incentives may not have to be in the form of direct financial payments, as they have been in Iran. They might take the shape of improved life prospects for the doors, such as covering future funeral costs.

It’s understandable that the US legislature is opposed to cash exchanges because of the ethical implications of trade (such as the exploitation of the poor and the perception that human life is for sale), but the reality is that America is struggling to increase organ donations, and incentives provide a good opportunity to do so (Farrell, Price & Quigley, 2011).

Another alternative is to adopt opt-out law, which makes all Americans organ donors by default unless they sign documentation to the contrary. The opt-out mechanism is effectively employed in at least 25 European nations, while not being used in the United States. Unlike the United States, which depends on altruistic reasons to meet 15% of organ demand, nations with opt-out laws record percentages of over 90%.

Although it is unknown if such a system would function in the United States, the current conditions and circumstances force this alternative to be considered. Although opt-out laws might boost donation volumes, it is crucial to remember that only around 2% of deaths occur in controlled circumstances with oxygenated blood running through the organs, therefore the increase may not be significant.

Essay on the Cause and Effect of Low Organ Donation in The USA – ENG 106.

Even if opt-out legislation is implemented, this implies that just 2% of deaths will result in usable organs. Such legislation was introduced in 2014, but it was faced with strong criticism from capitalist institutions that are more concerned with financial ramifications and profits (Tsouflas, 2018).

Another possibility is to pass complementary legislation in addition to the opt-in legislation. It is fairly unusual for relatives to violate a donor’s preferences and refuse to release organs since the choice does not benefit them financially. The US Congress may address this worry by enacting a legally enforceable first-person permission provision, which would allow families to be penalized if they refused to transfer organs against the desires of the donors. A similar law exists, but it falls short of fully addressing the problem. First-person consent law prohibits relatives from overturning a person’s choice to donate organs after death (Flescher, 2018).

However, since clinical death is a subjective term, the law is insufficient. Clinical death is defined in some jurisdictions as the irreversible loss of all brain functions, whereas in others it is defined as the permanent loss of cardiac functions. The two interpretations allow family members to legally postpone or prevent organ donation by refusing to withdraw the family member off life support. The donor organs’ viability may be compromised as a result of the delay. As a result, legislation is needed to define the human functions that may be utilized to diagnose clinical death (Farrell, Price & Quigley, 2011).

The lack of clarity on what defines clinical death is detrimental to organ donation. Although this may be upsetting for family members who remain hopeful that a miracle will occur and their loved ones will recover, the fact is that protracted delays have an impact on organ viability (Tsouflas, 2018).

Essay on the Cause and Effect of Low Organ Donation in The USA – ENG 106.

One must accept that America’s altruistic approach has failed to match organ supply with demand, and those on the organ transplant waiting list face a bleak future since the majority of them will not get lifesaving organs. 90 percent of those on the organ waiting list are unlikely to obtain the requisite organs. The inference is that the organ transplant management methods implemented in the USA are missing and insufficient, and there is a need for improvements to encourage organ donations so as to solve the present gap.

Firstly, there is a need for improved advertising efforts that appeal to the public’s charitable inclination and educates them about the available options such as the potential of making contributions while living and in death. Secondly, establishing incentives, and allowing for organ trading and sales with stringent rules to safeguard vulnerable people. Thirdly, passing opt-out law inevitably transforms all Americans become organ donors upon death unless they sign documentation to the contrary. Finally, proposing complementary legislation to improve opt-in legislation. In this sense, there is a need for the USA to establish more aggressive measures for acquiring donor organs.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the effects of organ shortages?

In addition to the deaths of individuals waiting for a transplant, organ scarcity has significant expenses. The scarcity, most clearly, diminishes the quality of life for individuals on dialysis or waiting for a transplant.

2. What are the causes of the shortage of organs?

Organ shortages are caused by ineffective social systems, not by natural restrictions. Implementing an assumed consent rule, reciprocity in organ distribution and increased remuneration to hospitals and donors all seem to be viable options. Human organ transplants are in short supply, which has catastrophic implications.

3. What are the problems with the current organ donation system in America?

The scarcity of donated organs is one of the most pressing issues confronting transplant patients and clinicians. Patients can die while waiting for a kidney, heart, pancreas, liver, or lung because demand outstrips supply on a nationwide waiting list that adds a new name every 10 minutes.

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References

• Farrell, A., Price, D. & Quigley, M. (ed) (2011). Organ shortage: ethics, law and pragmatism. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press.
• Flescher, A. M. (2018). The organ shortage crisis in America: incentives, civic duty, and closing the gap. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press.
• Fry-Revere, S. (2014). The kidney sellers: a journey of discovery in Iran. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.
• Goodwin, M. (2006). Black markets: the supply and demand of body parts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Kaserman, D. L. & Barnett, A. H. (2002). The US organ procurement systems: a prescription for reform. Washington, D.C.: The AEI Press.
• Satel, S. L. (2008). When altruism isn’t enough: the case for compensating kidney donors. Washington, D.C.: The AEI Press.
• Tsouflas, G. (ed) (2018). Organ donation and transplantation: current status and future challenges. London: IntechOpen. Veatch, R. M. & Ross, L. F. (2015). Transplantation ethics (2^nd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press. 

Essay on the Cause and Effect of Low Organ Donation in The USA – ENG 106.