UK: Jumping the organ queue questions some core principles

[Clark]

https://theconversation.com/jumping-the-organ-queue-questions-some-core-principles-16099

Jumping the organ queue questions some core principles
Greg Moorlock

Giving priority for transplants to people who have joined the organ donor register (ODR) isn’t a new idea and is already happening in countries such as Israel and Singapore.

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The family veto has recently faced criticism, but it would almost certainly have to be changed for donor priority to work effectively. I might be personally opposed to organ donation, but very keen to receive priority for a transplant, so I might join the ODR safe in the knowledge that my parents will refuse consent for donation if the time comes.

It is also not easy to say why only donating organs should qualify a person for priority. For example, who contributes the most to transplantation? a) someone who joins the register; b) a transplant surgeon; c) a volunteer who helps alcoholics to stop drinking. The surgeon directly saves the most lives, but the volunteer may help alcoholics stop drinking before they need a liver transplant which reduces strain on the transplantation system.

In comparison, and bearing in mind that most people do not die in a way that allows their organs to be donated, the person who joined the ODR will probably contribute the least.

A donor priority system may be a neat solution to the organ shortage, but it raises complex issues. These may be resolvable, but we need to ask ourselves whether we are willing to give up some existing principles in order to potentially save more lives.