CASE STUDY
Albert Newburg typed the letters o-r-g-a-n-m-a-t-c-h in the Google search bar. He clicked on the first headline he saw, which read “Organ Donor, Organ Transplant, Organ Donor Services| Matching Donors”. This headline was the link for a website called matchingdonors.com. Albert clicked on the topic, “Why should I become a living donor”, and read carefully. He read the sentence, “you don't have to wait until you die to be a heroic organ donor”, and the word HEROIC was imprinted in his mind. Albert frantically searched the website for a person in need of a life-saving organ transplant. He found Becky Mueller and sent an e-mail without hesitation. The e-mail read:
Hello Becky,
My name is Albert Newburg, and I would like to give you one of my kidneys. I am in perfect health, and I match your blood type. My phone number is listed below. Please contact me, so we can get this process started. You need a kidney, and I need to give it to you.
-Albert
The next morning, Becky Mueller opened her e-mail account, and was stunned to find a message from Albert Newburg in her inbox. She stared at the computer screen. What was she going to do? She had been a member of matchingdonors.com for seven months now. She never really thought that anyone would give his or her kidney to a stranger. She was elated to receive Albert’s offer, however she did feel quite apprehensive. She felt that Albert’s message was strange because of the last line “I need to give it to you”. She also questioned why someone would want to go through such an evasive procedure and give up an organ for a stranger. Becky pondered for a moment, and decided to e-mail Albert back.
Becky and Albert exchanged e-mails for a few days. They put a plan together where Albert was to fly into Becky’s hometown and meet with her doctors.
Becky and Albert arrived at the hospital. Like Becky, the doctors immediately noticed that something was off about Albert. He seemed socially awkward and too eager to please people. He kept offering in a nagging manner to help the nurses and doctors with their work. He gave large amounts of money to every homeless or poor looking person he saw. In a small talk conversation with Becky and the doctors, Albert divulged that he wanted to give everything he had away- everything from his money to his house to his organs.
Becky and the doctors were stunned by Albert’s confession. The doctors immediately knew that there could be potential ethical problems concerning Albert’s organ donation because he was clearly not of sound mind. The doctors proceeded to do extensive mental health testing. They discovered that Albert was severely depressed and planned on committing suicide in the near future. The doctors tried to offer Albert some help on this issue, but Albert was insistent on his plans. The surgeon who would be performing Becky’s transplant took Becky aside to tell her the bad news,
“Becky, I’m afraid that we will most likely be unable to perform this transplant due to Albert’s mental state. He is very depressed and not of sound mind. I am not sure that it would be ethical to take his kidney from him even though he is persistent. I will have to consult with the board of ethics, and I will get back to you.”
The surgeon immediately met with the board of ethics and laid out his case.
“We have a man offering to donate his kidney to a woman he found on matchingdonors.com. This man is suicidal. He wants to give everything he has away before leaving Earth. He is not severely mentally handicapped. He has no assistance from family members, friends, or the government. He is just a single man who is severely depressed. I have offered him treatment and tried to convince him not to kill himself. He will not enter any programs, and will continue to live on his own until he kills himself. There is nothing that we can legally do to stop him from committing suicide; it his will. He wants to give up his organ to Ms. Becky Mueller. My question for you today is: Is it ethical to take Albert’s organ even though he is not of sound mind and may not be able to make an informed decision?”
Below is some factual information about the ethical dilemmas of organ transplantation.
There are 98,056 people currently on the waiting list for a life-saving organ transplant.
Every day, 16 to 17 people die while waiting for a transplant of a vital organ, such as a heart, liver, kidney, pancreas, lung or bone marrow.
Because of the lack of available donors in this country, 2,025 kidney patients, 1,347 liver patients, 458 heart patients and 361 lung patients died in 2001 while waiting for life-saving organ transplants
An estimated 10,000 to 14,000 people who die each year meet the criteria for organ donation, but less than half of that number become actual organ donors.
"25 Facts About Organ Donation and Transplatation." Congressional Kidney Caucus. 9 Dec. 2007
Giving up an organ to someone unknown is a radical form of altruism (The Ethics of Organ Donation by Living Donors), and psychologists question if the person is compensating for low self-esteem, depression, or other psychological problems.
You have now looked at some facts and read a fictional case study that is designed to make you think about the ethical issues concerning organ transplants. Take a look at the following questions.
1. Consider the following and form an opinion on whether or not you believe it would be ethical to for the doctors in the case study to transplant Becky with Albert’s kidney.
Pro Con
He is going to die anyway, so why not put his organs to use and save someone’s life? He is severely depressed, and there is a possibility that he may come out of it.
Other than his depression, Albert is of sound mind. He is a grown man who willingly offered to help someone. Albert is suicidal and not thinking clearly.
Albert refuses to get help and insists on dying. Albert could change his mind.
2. Can you think of any other situations where a doctor would question whether it is ethical to accept a donation? Consider a white man offering his organ to only a person of the white race-is this ethical? What about the people of other ethnicities? Are they not just as deserving?
For more information on organ transplantation, you can look at my blog organethics.blogspot.com, and, of course, you can always conduct your own research online or at the library.
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