Organ Donation and Transplantation

An ethical organ donation and transplantation program regarding deceased patients donors would balance the needs of the organ recipient with the needs of the organ donor and his or her family. The solution to achieve ethical balance is not easy. The donation community leans toward Kantian ethics to justify actions on the donor, while the transplant community tends toward utilitarian justifications that focus on recipient outcomes. Yet the responsibility to achieve balance lies with both communities (and their wider healthcare colleagues) to work together so that good end-of-life care for donors is achieved while simultaneously increasing the number and quality of deceased organ transplants.