SOC 573 Organ Donation

James G. Anderson, Ph.D.

Purdue University

Organ Donations

• In the U.S. 2 million persons die each year. 25,000 are suitable for organ donation

• Only one out of six donate organs

• 57,000 people in the U.S. are on the waiting list for organs

• 10 people die every 18 minutes from lack of an organ

Organ Donations

• In Indiana in 1997, 65 families approached health care officials about organ donations

• In 1997, there were only 86 organ donors in Indiana

• 640 Indiana residents are on the waiting list for organs

Current Organ Donation Policy

• The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act of 1968 provides for voluntary donations of organs

• National Organ Transplant Act of 1984 makes the purchase of human organs, even cadaveric organs, a felony.

• Congress enacted “routine inquiry” legislation in 1986 mandating that hospitals that receive Medicare/Medicaid funds establish protocols to ask families of potential donors to consider donating organs

Other Organ Procurement Policies

• Mandated choice

• Presumed consent. The adoption of such laws in 3 European countries has resulted in a dramatic increase in the availability of organs ( 183% between 1984 and 1988).

• Change the brain death rule

Other Organ Procurement Policies

• Should human organs be bought or sold? A survey found that 79% of the public said NO.

• Reasons why organ donation should not be compensated:

• 82% Organ donation should be an act of altruism

• 70% Human body should not be treated as a commodity

• 41% Would encourage families to withhold medical care

• 28% Would not substantially increase the number of organs

Other Organ Procurement Policies

• Anencephalic neonates

• Non-heart beating donors

• Siblings/relatives through suicide or birth

• Executed Prisoners

• Nonessential organs/tissue from incompetent persons

• Animals

• Fetal tissue/stem cells

• Cloning

Current Organ Allocation Policy

• The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) coordinates transplantation services nationwide

• Individual -transplant centers and regional organ-provider organizations must belong to the UNOS in order to receive Medicare/Medicaid funding

• The GAO was critical of the UNOS for not ensuring that organs are allocated strictly on the basis of medical criteria

Other Organ Allocation Policies• Insurance coverage for organ transplants• Medical Efficacy• Social criteria for allocation• Age

• Lifestyle

• Fault

• Incarceration

• Family support

• Retransplantation after rejection

• Social Utility