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Response to “Special Section on Children as Organ Donors” (CQ Vol 13, No 2): A Critique

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 June 2005

David Steinberg
Affiliation:
The Section of Medical Ethics at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts

Extract

I would have preferred that the Special Section on Children as Organ Donors had focused on the donation of a specific organ because morally relevant differences are obscured when the subject is discussed in general terms. The donation of a lobe of liver and peripheral blood or bone marrow stem cells does not result in the permanent loss of vital tissue because these organs regenerate; however, a kidney does not regenerate and its donor loses a vital organ permanently. Liver tissue and peripheral blood or bone marrow stem cells are typically required to save a life, but, because most patients with end-stage renal disease can be kept alive on dialysis, the donation of a kidney is rarely life saving. Also, donor risk is organ specific; for example, it is more dangerous to donate a lobe of liver than it is to donate peripheral blood or bone marrow stem cells.

Type
RESPONSES AND DIALOGUE
Copyright
© 2005 Cambridge University Press

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