Organ Donation

Organ donation is the removal of the tissues of the human body from a person who has recently died, or from a living donor, for the purpose of transplanting. People of all ages could be tissue and organ donors. The Heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys, eyes, heart valves, skin, bones, bone marrow, connective tissues, and blood vessels are the major organs and tissues that can be donated.

A person, living or dead, who provides an organ is called a donor. The person into whom the organ will be transplanted is the recipient. Collecting an organ from a donor is known as retrieval or procurement. Human organ transplantation gives new hope, particularly to patients with end stage diseases, to recover and regain an acceptable and proper lifestyle. It provides a better quality of life compared with alternative expensive medical treatment like the renal dialysis. The renal dialysis is a medical treatment which must continue through the life and it is costly.

Organ donation brings many benefits to the society and donors. Organ donation gives another chance at life to people who would otherwise die. The donated organs will help the people recover from the illness or solve the health problem. This provides a new life for them and also causes them having a healthier body. Besides that, it is amongst few acts for which people can remember you for your merciful behavior. Organ donation is known as such a kind deed or charitable work, so the recipient will feel very grateful to the donor. Organ donation is a beautiful bequest that we can make happen. Since eyes can continue seeing and heart can continue beating, but someone could die without them. Any person can give a new life to at least five individuals. Your eyes can give valuable sight to two individuals. Like this, your organs too, can breathe life into others.

Human organ transplantation, however, cannot be separated from the human act of donation. Nowadays, organ donation is widely abused and exploited usually at the economically poor. The lack of renal care and the non-affordability of a life-long dialysis increase the demand for organ donors. In spite of prohibition for health care professionals and facilities, there is an increasing organ sale, especially of kidneys. There are even some currents in the Philippines who are advocating a change in policies and guidelines to open the door to incentives for organ donors and, even perhaps, to compensation.

We should not blame the poor who sell their organ. There are other ways to help them but not through organ sale. They are human beings and cannot be treated as commodities. We encourage voluntary organ donation from cadavers and also from living donors. We condemn any form of organ sale and organ trade. Human organ sale is morally unacceptable. It is contrary to the dignity of the human person, his or her authentic autonomy and the essential equality of all persons. Our body ought not to be treated as a commodity or object of commerce, which would amount to the dispossession or plundering of the human body.

As a conclusion, organ donation is a very effective way in saving life. It bring many benefits to the society. However, it should be control well for prevent the organ sale being widely abused.

Written by: Ng Chia Yi