Ethical Considerations in Organ Transplant Prioritization

1. organ transplants SHOULDnotBE PRIORITISED ACCORDING TO lifestyle factors The health practitioner must play an Inappropriate role of judging others Health care should be available equally to each individual in society • FORAGAINST • Undermining of the doctor-patient relationship: • Patients may lose trust & withhold information • Utilitarianism: can the doctor really do the best for the greater good if the doctor-patient relationship is undermined? Who does the principle of beneficence and non-maleficence apply to? Against: Universality: If we wish to prioritise giving health-care based on whether the patient’s ill-health is self-caused, then all patient whose illness results from diet, employment in stressful/dangerous jobs, participation in dangerous sports etc., should be given lower prioritisation for health care. Given that any life is likely to involve some health-risk, where will we draw the line? Justice: as resources are limited, not everybody can be cured, and therefore priorities must be set. Utilitarianism: in order to do greatest good for greatest number, patient’s unhealthy lifestyle factors must be taken into account. Assumption: lifestyle factors may reduce the likelihood of success A pillar of utilitarianism is impartiality: everybody's happiness is treated equally. For: Egalitarianism: everyone has the moral right of equal access to health care. Deontology: duty to treat all patients Beneficence: act for the good of the patient Non-maleficence: putting someone further down the list causes them harm. - The doctor’s duty is to treat patients, irrespective of the cause of illness. - Judgment by the doctor may result in greater good for a greater number - Patient has a right to make decisions for themselves Demand - Judgment by the doctor may result in greater good for a greater number - Refusing to treat a patient based on past lifestyle choices is doing harm Supply Everyone has a personal right to engage in risky behaviour ? FORAGAINST Beneficence: to whom should we do good? - Patient has the right to make their own choices, even if they are unhealthy - A transplant could do more good in a patient who does not undertake risky behaviour - One should act in such a way that the rule underlying a moral choice is applied equally, to all circumstances Who should receive the organ? Conclusion Group Members Juliette Roex, Emma Lane, Kate Seagrim, Ned Young, Jaya Lindsay