Case 7: Death Row Inmate Organ Donation

Case 7: Death Row Inmate Organ Donation

Case 7: Death Row Inmate Organ Donation

A prisoner on death row (convicted of murdering a family of 4 in a “robbery gone bad”) has asked to end his remaining appeals and donate his organs after his execution. He says there are no laws explicitly against allowing prisoners to donate their organs after execution, but no prisons are willing to allow it. He wants all states to switch to the single drug method of lethal injection that only uses sodium thiopental so that the organs can be procured after the prisoner dies. Additionally, the prisoner claims that organ donation from prisoners could actually be considered safer for the receiving patient than organs procured from someone who died suddenly from an incident like a car accident because prisoners can be tested for STIs and communicable diseases long before the organs are ever procured, which insures the safety of the organ donation. He claims prisons are reluctant to allow executed prisoners to donate their organs because of the long history of the medical profession abusing prisoners for research. The prisoner also argues that there are several other death row inmates that he knows that have expressed interest in being allowed to donate their organs after their execution and that they are all fully capable of giving informed consent. He concludes that it is simply a waste not to allow him to donate his perfectly healthy organs to society upon his death.

1. Should death row inmates be allowed to donate their organs after execution? Why or why not?

Case 8: Parental Consent

Susie is a 16-year-old girl in need of a liver transplant. Her condition is so severe that liver transplantation is the only availably therapy. Because of her parent’s strong stance against organ donation, they refuse to even consider a liver transplant. However, Susie knows that she will die if she doesn’t get a transplant and begs the physicians and nurses to put her on the transplant list.

1. Should Susie be given a liver transplant, against her parent’s wishes, despite being a minor (under 18 years old)? Why or why not?

• At what age should a minor be deemed capable of making their own decision to receive a transplant against their parent’s consent? Please explain.

• At what age should a minor be able to make the decision to decline an organ transplant, despite their parent’s insistence? Please explain.

•  At what age is minor able to make the decision to donate bone marrow, for example, even against their parent’s consent? Please explain.

• At what age is a minor able to decline donating bone marrow, for example, despite their parent’s insistence on doing so? Please explain.