Case Study Analysis: Ethical Dilemmas in Organ Donation

This case study examines the ethical dilemmas surrounding organ donation, using the case of Baby Theresa as a focal point. The assignment analyzes the perspectives of key stakeholders, including the parents, the Florida legal system, and potential organ recipients. The paper explores the conflict between the parents' desire to donate the baby's organs to save other children and the legal prohibition against removing organs from a patient before death. It applies ethical principles like utilitarianism and duty ethics to evaluate the different viewpoints and proposes that the law should be altered to allow organ donation in such cases, where the patient is brain dead, and there is no hope of consciousness, as the most ethical solution. The analysis highlights the importance of balancing the interests of all parties involved and emphasizes the potential benefits of organ donation in saving lives.

Running head: ETHICS IN ORGAN DONATION
Ethics in Organ Donation
Name of the student :
Name of the university :
Authors note:

1ETHICS IN ORGAN DONATION
In 1922 an anencephalic infant was born who was without a brain, and there no cerebrum
or cerebellum in the case of the infant; however, it was observed that the brain did have any
brain stem and therefore, it was an autonomic function like that of breathing and heartbeat was
continuing. In most of the case, this kind of fetuses are detected as well as aborted, those who are
not aborted are stillborn, and half are dead. This phenomenon was very common in Florida; there
are usually 300 cases like this. These kinds of babies do not live long. Hence, they do not live a
conscious life (Szawarski & Oram, 2015). Parents as well doctors volunteered for the organ
transplants for the other children, which includes kidneys, heart, lungs, livers, and eyes as well.
These children would be benefited who would need them. It was observed that nearly 2000 need
this kind of transplant every year, and there are never organs available. However, the law of
Florida prohibits any person from the removal of the organs until and unless the donor is dead.
The justification was that taking out the organs in the patient would kill the child. When Teresa
breathed her last breath, it was observed that the healthy organs in the patient were deteriorated
and were worthless to be used.
The primary stakeholder in this situation is family, the law of Florida, and probable who
were involved in this situation.
The technical problem, in that case, the case of brain death, which does not declare the
complete patient death. These people are totally unconscious and do not live long; however, in
the case, it was seen that the law of Florida was stopping for organ donation (Truog, Miller &
Halpern, 2015). The Florida law relating to organ donation does not allow the person to be killed
for organ donation. However, it should be noted that by the brain dead standard, Teresa was
already dead, and there was no hope for her to conscious life; however, the law stopped the act
from killing her.

2ETHICS IN ORGAN DONATION
In order to solve the case would be in terms of Baby Therese parent's points of view. Her
parents knew that baby Theresa is an anencephalic patient, and therefore they are she did not
have the ability to be conscious and was going to die anyway. Therefore, they proposed the idea
that the Therese organs would be taken and transplanted so the other children could be helped. In
the part of the parents, they were right in the thinking because simply physical existence is not
what is desired. Here the law of utilitarianism would be considered as the parents can say that
organ donation is based on the good rule; therefore, it can benefit the greatest number of people
(Mill, 2016).
The second stakeholder in this part would be the legal structure of Florida, which states
that the people cannot be killed for the purpose of organ donation. It stands on the principle that
other people cannot be killed, harmed, or manipulated to serve the interest of other people. This
view is formulated on the notion of the autonomy of the individual (Emond Pelletier &
Joussemet, 2017). Transplant in the case is always carried out with the permission of the donor;
however, in this case, baby Theresa was unconscious and therefore was unable to voice her
opinion. This concept of the legal system is related to duty ethics, which means doing the moral
duty of the state. According to the lawmakers, the decision of the parents does not count, as it is
only the donor who can take the decision of the body.
The other point of view, which can be considered, is the point of the probable recipient.
In terms of the recipient, it can benefit the person without harming Baby Theresa. Taking out
baby Theresa's organ would not harm her because those organs were not beneficial for Baby
Theresa, even if she was alive. Being alive only benefits a person if the other person has lived,
and it can relate to the other person. In the situational context, Baby Theresa was already
breathing her last breath, and taking out organs was not killing her both rather saving her.

3ETHICS IN ORGAN DONATION
Therefore, the right to life can be implied here to understand the situation and understand the
perspective of the organ donor.
From the above discussion with all the central stakeholders involved, the most ethical
solution is very much clear. In all the cases, it was observed that all the parties were in support of
organ donation, as it is the most right thing to donate. This is a way to a person's life who needs
the organ urgently to be saved. In the case of baby Theresa, she was anyway battling her life, and
it was perilous for her to live where is no consciousness and hope for life. Living just for the sake
is totally a pain. Therefore, the organ can be donated to those people who are in dire need.
Therefore, the humans, as well as the legal structure, should reason and render decision making,
which extremely helps to both the parties. The legal department, therefore, should alter the law.

4ETHICS IN ORGAN DONATION
References
Emond Pelletier, J., & Joussemet, M. (2017). The benefits of supporting the autonomy of
individuals with mild intellectual disabilities: An experimental study. Journal of Applied
Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 30(5), 830-846.
Mill, J. S. (2016). Utilitarianism. In Seven masterpieces of philosophy (pp. 337-383). Routledge.
Szawarski, P., & Oram, J. (2015). Classic cases revisited: Baby Theresa and the definition of
death. Journal of the Intensive Care Society, 16(3), 222-225.
Truog, R. D., Miller, F. G., & Halpern, S. D. (2015). The dead-donor rule and the future of organ
donation. Replacement Parts: The Ethics of Procuring and Replacing Organs in Humans,
20.