Who Should Get the Organ?

By: Jackson Nordbeck, Andrew Kozerski and Josh Sutton

 Organ Donation
Process1

1. A registered organ donor passes away

2. Organs are harvested
3. Information is immediately put into a database of recipients
4. A recipient is found within that database
5. The organ is transported
6. The organ is transplanted
 Who should be
allowed on the organ
transplant recipient
list?
 Waiting List Eligibility2
Ethical Problem: Moral Distress

Everyone Eligible Dependent Automatic Disqualification

• Who Needs the organ? • Past history • Over 75
• Future Benefit • Drug Use
• Past Criminal history
 Everyone is Eligible3
• Ethical theory: Deontology
• Universal law, treat others the way you expect to be treated.
• Respect for persons: A person has dignity and value no matter their past
• It is our duty to treat them as an autonomous individual
 It Depends4
• Ethical theory: Utilitarianism
• Weighing where the organ needs to be allocated
• Who will gain the max benefit
 Automatic Disqualification4
• Ethical theory: Utilitarianism
• A line must be drawn
• Respect for autonomy
 5
Ethical Theories

Right Action Virtue

Principles

Utilitarian Deontology Rights/Duties Religion, Customs and Traditions Care

Law Core Values/Moral Intuition

Least Use Most
Least Personal Most
Most Social Least
Least Context Most
 Final Conclusion / Thoughts
• The position that we find most palatable is where every case is
reviewed and considered based on its own merits.
• No automatic disqualification
• No automatic acceptance
Questions?
 References
1. Cleveland Clinic. Organ donation and transplantation Accessed April 6, 2024.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/11750-organ-donation-and-
transplantation.
2. Silkwood-Sherer D. Prototypes of ethical problems. PowerPoint and Lecture presented
at: PTH 695 Ethics in Physical Therapy; January 18, 2024; Mount Pleasant, MI.
3. Silkwood-Sherer D. Deontology. PowerPoint and Lecture presented at: PTH 695 Ethics
in Physical Therapy; January 30, 2024; Mount Pleasant, MI.
4. Silkwood-Sherer D. Utilitarianism. PowerPoint and Lecture presented at: PTH 695
Ethics in Physical Therapy; February 6, 2024; Mount Pleasant, MI.
5. Silkwood-Sherer D. The moral role of physical therapists. PowerPoint and Lecture
presented at: PTH 695 Ethics in Physical Therapy; February 27, 2024; Mount Pleasant,
MI.