The Anencephalic Controversy

The rash of articles in the August issue of Pediatrks pertaining to the use of anencephalic newborns as organ donors was timely, albeit one-sided. The authors recognize that there is a critical organ donor shortage among newborns, ie, that 600 infants die annually of liver failure and approximately 1,200 die of heart disease. I plan to rectify this imbalance and take an exactly contrary point of view. First, it is well accepted that there is a critical shortage of "good" newborn donors.