Organ Donation

• Informed Consent


  You give permission
• Presumed Consent


  Someone assumes you give permission
• Consent

  Informed and Presumed
• Strengths of Informed Consent

  • People's lives will be saved. Over 500 people in Scotland will be saved each year due to the selflessness of others.
  • It takes away strain from health services if there are more organs.
  • The government can spend the money saved on other life threatening issues.
  • Less pressure for individuals diagnosed with organ failure as the waiting time will decrease due to the high survival rate.
  • It will eventually become the norm within society to donate, this can be through word of mouth or social media platforms.
• Weaknesses of Informed Consent

  • Where do the organs go to (i.e. should there be a ranking order to who should receive and not receive them?)
  • How do you know a person has the capacity to understand organ donation?
  • Are opt-out governments putting too much pressure on people?
  • Will science become lazy in medical development if there are more organs than before (i.e. will it be easier to give someone an organ than treating them?
  • Not all people who agree to informed consent will be able to donate their organs.
  • An issue with consent is that some people may have mentioned they would give consent to donating their organs but may have changed their minds before death – how do we know a person's true intentions?
  • Another issue with consent is that some people may be forced to donate an organ i.e. organ trafficking which has happened in China. This is a violation of a person's human rights as they are being forced to do something they might not wish to do.
• Soft Opt Out

  If the dead person has not previously opted out themselves their relatives may deny consent for organ donation on the person's behalf i.e. Scotland and Spain
• Hard Opt Out

  Ignores the views of relatives and the dead person is presumed to have given consent i.e. Austria
• Christian views on organ donation

  • Christians consider organ donation as an act of love and a way of following Jesus' example.
  • Christians believe in eternal life and preparing for death should not be feared.
  • Christians believe that nothing happens to our body, before or after death, can impact on our relationship with God.
• Roman Catholic views on organ donation

  • Roman Catholics view organ and tissue donation as an act of charity and love, as reported "Transplants are morally and ethically acceptable to the Vatican".
• Buddhist views on organ donation

  • The death process of an individual is viewed as a very important time that should be treated with the greatest care and respect.
  • Buddhism is a wish to relieve suffering and there may be circumstances where organ donation could be seen as an act of generosity.
  • The Buddha in a previous life gave his body to a starving tigress who could not feed her cubs.
  • What loss do I suffer to give an unwanted organ after my death to give another person life?
• Humanist views on organ donation

  • Humanists believe that reason, experience and evidence and not "faith" are the best ways of finding out about the Universe and the world around us. They base their morality on what will best contribute to human welfare and human fulfillment.
  • As Humanists do not believe in a continued existence after death or place an additional spiritual value upon the body, they do not object to allowing their organs to be used to help others after death, except for when an individual has expressed a person has wish to the contrary.
  • Most Humanists could consider that we have a moral responsibility to allow our organs to be used for transplantation, if that will help save lives and improve the quality of life for others.
• Utilitarian views on organ donation


  • Act Utilitarianism: The consequences of your actions decide whether your actions were right or wrong. If your actions are likely to lead to the greatest good for the greatest number of people, then they're right.
  • Welfare Utilitarianism: A welfare utilitarian looks at aspects that enhance society as opposed to a single person. In the case of a heroic donor, a welfare utilitarian could say that it was justifiable to refuse an organ as the medical evidence shows that it will do no one any good.
• It is wrong for doctors to deliberately end a patient's life for whatever reason
• Death must be properly established i.e. organs will not be taken from deaths that are suspicious
• Only around 1 in 100 people who die in the UK are usually able to be donors
• Donors are typically those who have died in a hospital, intensive care unit or emergency department
• Some families may find it difficult if they wish to spend time with their loved ones as they may feel pressure to not spend time with the body and properly mourn as organs normally work better when they are taken immediately from a dead person
• Islamic views on brain death

  • Brain death is not considered death in Islam and a person is not considered dead until rigor mortis sets in (12 hours after death).
  • This causes difficulties as it will be hard to assure families that a family member with brain-stem death is truly dead in order to allow donation to happen.
  • Brain stem-death is not legally recognised in some countries, such as Egypt and Morocco.
• Buddhist views on brain death

  • Buddhism promotes all acts that may help to alleviate the suffering of others.
  • For example, within Tibetan Buddhism, it's believed that the spirit may remain in the body several days after breathing has stopped and shouldn't be disturbed to avoid negatively impacting on the individual's rebirth.
  • When he discovered a monk sick and uncared for, the Buddha said to the other monks: "If you don't tend to one another, who will then tend to you? Whoever would tend to me, should tend to the sick"
• Jewish views on brain death

  • Many Rabbis say that death in Jewish law occurs with the irreversible process of the brain stem function.
  • In 2010, the conservative movement says that where a person is unconscious, depending on a ventilator and has no hope of recovery – even if they may show limited brain activity – the person, under certain conditions, can be removed from life support and their organs can be taken for transplant after the heart stops beating.
• Utilitarian views on brain death

  • There is no point in prolonging life unnecessarily when the quality of that life doesn't amount to much.
  • They wouldn't accept maintaining life at all costs.
  • For many Utilitarians, the belief is that there comes a point where there is no benefit to the individual and significant drawbacks for society generally, so such life support should be withdrawn.
  • Keeping brain dead people on life support wastes scarce medical resources (in the US this can cost $7,500 a day).
• Humanist views on brain death

  • As Humanists believe that the life of the individual continues after death (i.e. through memories and experiences with others) prolonging life is not an issue for concern.
  • Humanists obviously seek to respect the dying – and an element of that respect is to respect their wish for an earlier painless death rather than a prolonged painful death.
  • Humanists, though, will also want to show respect to the deceased.
• Jahi McMath was kept alive on life support for 5 years even though she was brain dead and there was no chance she could recover
• Medical professionals wanted to give Jahi a death certificate when she was pronounced brain dead
• Direct Donation

  The living donor chooses the specific person they want to give their kidney to. This type of donation usually happens when the donor and patient are family members or friends.
• Non-direct Donation

  The living donor does not name a specific person who should receive the kidney. The kidney can be given to anyone in need of a kidney and who is a match. A non-direct donation is less common than a direct donation.
• Recipients of living donor livers have an average 5% better long-term survival rate than recipients of deceased donor livers
• Kidneys from living donors can sometimes last almost twice as long as kidneys from deceased donors. On average, living kidney donors transplants last 15-20 years
• Christian views on living organ donation

  • The Christian faith is based upon the revelation of God in the life of Jesus Christ. Throughout his life Jesus taught people to love one another and he proved his love in the cross.
  • Christians consider organ donation as a genuine act of love which follows Jesus' example as it becomes part of a Christian faith journey that is motivated by compassion to help someone else and demonstrate a sense of social responsibility.
  • Sacrifice and helping others are consistent themes in Christianity, which teaches the principle of seeking for others what you hope others would do for you.
• Pope quotes on organ donation

  • Organ Donation is an example of "everyday heroism" - Pope John Paul II
  • Pope Benedict XVI has carried an organ donation card since 1970.
  • "Organ donation is a testimony of love for our neighbor" - Pope Francis
• Islamic views on living organ donation

  • In 2019, Muslim scholars, Imams and medical staff agreed that it was acceptable for living organ donation to be carried out.
  • Historically, and in the present day, many Muslims believe that organ donation is haram, prohibited. This is because the human body is sacred and the Prophet Muhammad, said that the body remains sacred even after death and shouldn't be harmed.
  • Living/altruistic organ donation is permissible, provided harm to the donor is negligible or relatively minor and that it does not disrupt the life of the donor.
• Humanist views on living organ donation

  • Humanists believe we only have one life and that we can make it meaningful by being happy and adopting worthwhile goals to give our life meaning and purpose.
  • Humanists base their morality on what will best contribute to human welfare and fulfillment.
  • Living organ donation is not acceptable if a person has expressed, they don't support it.
  • Altruistic donation by the living is a very personal choice. Doctors should be informed of the risks and make their decision free from pressure and manipulation.
• Humanist beliefs

  • We need to think for ourselves and take individual responsibility for our actions.
  • Our understanding of right and wrong has evolved naturally, rather than been given to us from an external source.
  • Human beings can be good without a God or a sacred text to guide us.
  • Human beings have the right tools at our disposal to be able to work out what is the right or wrong thing to do: reason, empathy, compassion and respect for the dignity of others.
  • The aim of morality is to improve human welfare (rather than some divine purpose) and between us we can make the world a better place for everyone.