The ethics of organ donation.

Abstract

1. The primary bioethics principles, which are evidenced in the analysis and discussion of organ donation are: autonomy, beneficence, justice, and utility. 2. Organ donation encompasses a variety of ethics-laden issues ranging from invalidation of individual rights to the accepted criteria for donation. However, any of these issues can be categorized as relating to procurement, consent, and allocation. 3. The application of bioethical principles is integral to the decision-making process involved in organ-donation issues. It is the responsibility of nurses, physicians, ethics committees, and organ-procurement organizations, as well as the donors, recipients and their respective relations, to understand and determine which principles support a proposed decision on organ donation or allocation. 4. Human beings must discover and utilize valid principles in order to make effective ethical decisions in difficult or complex situations. By defining and applying the principles of bioethics, individuals can make sense of such painful experiences as those that address organ donation.