Ethical Dilemma Of Organ Shortage And Its Strategy In China

Transplantation technology has advanced rapidly in China, which has benefited lots of patients, but it is encountering some barriers. One of the biggest barriers is organ shortage. Organ shortage is a bottleneck of organ transplantation in China. This paper argues that the reasons resulting in organ shortage include the followings: the double pressure of the prevalence of transplantation technology and the delay of related technologies; the impact of traditional concepts and failure of science communication; the invading of the cult of technology and money worship, and so on. The alleviating mechanisms of organ shortage can be divided into three aspects: encouraging voluntary donation, implementing presumed consent, and commercializing the organ. These measures have alleviated the organ shortage; however, they also have brought about a series of ethical dilemmas. (1) the conflict between respect autonomy and donor protection in voluntary organ donation, and the conflict between the diversity of morality and the right of autonomy in the procedure of presumed consent; (2) the conflict between the right of animals and the right of human beings, the cross-species infection and public health risk, and the integrity of human nature in xenotransplantation; (3) the conflict between the temptation of getting profits and lose of human dignity, and unfair distribution of medical resources in the commercialization of organ. To cope with these ethical dilemmas, this paper put forth three strategies. Firstly, the organ transplant technology is still the main channel to alleviate the organ shortage, and we should keep the evolution of the ethical view with the development of organ technology. Secondly, we should perfect donor donation incentives, assistance and legal mechanisms. Thirdly, we should clarify the relevance of the brain death criteria to solving organ shortage. Although the establishment of brain death criteria expands the organ donor sources, it is not the last solution. More important, we should make the brain death criteria recognized, with changes of the view of life and death.