Should deathrow inmates be required to be organ donors - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages... Other segment of society must also be targeted. Thus, there should be massive educational and awareness programs and other imitative to let the people appreciate the need for organ donation support. The government could consider giving some kind of allowance, benefits and incentives to those who donate their organs. The issue of family role in matters relating to organ donation and donor decision also need to be addressed. Key Words: Death row inmates, Organ, Organ donation, Organ transplant Should death row inmates be required to be organ donors? There have been proposals among various stakeholders including the legislators and scholars that death row inmates be allowed or worse still, required to donate organs shortly before execution. Others have suggested that the death row prisoners should have their sentences converted to life imprisonment without parole upon donating their kidney, bone marrow or any other organ that may be suitable for transplant. This is seen as a useful way of tapping their organs which would have otherwise been wasted upon execution. However, the issue as to whether the prisoners on the death row should be required to donate organs is a very complex one and involving intricate medical, ethical and legal issues all which needs to be resolved if the most appropriate position is to be reached. While donation of an organ by these prisoners may save some patients in a very desperate situation, it is very vital that their voluntary consent is got and that they are not coerced by legislations and policies to donate the organs. Medical perspectives Organ transplant from the prisoners has a lot of potential health risks. A number of homosexual sex scandals associated with the prison life. 1This implies that the prisoners stand a significantly high risk of being with a transmissible diseases and health conditions, particularly HIV and hepatitis. It is very important that any organ to be transplanted to a recipient must be maximally healthy and this depends on the health of the donor. Whereas there are bloods test that the medics concerned may be able to carry to verify the health of the donor prior to donation, the medics submit that these test methods are not and cannot be a hundred percent effective. As such none of the blood test and screening can be trusted to completely rule out the possibility of a donor being free from these transmissible illnesses. This explains why the doctors have always sought to obtain the history of the donors before making their donation. Even the idea of carryon gouty testing and screening itself raises public issues. Because a very rigorous testing process is to be undertaken, to the extent of clearing any scintilla out doubt as to the health risks posed by the donor to the recipient, lots of public funds will be used in testing the prisoner. This follows from the fact that the government’s department concerned will be interested in knowing the prisoners who are fit to donate and those who are not. In the long run lots of funds may be wasted. This is in contrast with the optional and voluntary donation, where in most cases only those who are at least certain of their health well being will be going to seek testing. The government will therefore be incurring unnecessary expenditure to meet tests and screening which may in the long run end up not being useful. A lot of time will also be wasted carrying out a routine test of those who are lined to provide organ ...Download file to see next pagesRead More