Cause and effect paper, Essays (university) of English Literature

Download Cause and effect paper and more Essays (university) English Literature in PDF only on Docsity! Angela Deshone English -106 December 19th, 2018 Dorothey Staten The Organ Crisis The demand for organs and donors is more than a tragic shortage, it’s a crisis. In a government that regulates the sale of hair, blood, plasma, and even sperm, why is the sale of organs such a hard concept to accept? In the United States, the current system to becoming a donor, someone must first opt-in via registration while registering for a driver’s license (Department of Health and Social Care). Unfortunately, this system of voluntary donations is simply not meeting the existing demand. In the United States, 95% of adults support organ donation, but only 54% are actually signed up as donors (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2018). This organ crisis is due to the current opt-in system, lack of government regulation, and no incentives for donors. The current opt-in system for organ donors is not an effective way of solving the organ crisis. Following the change to an opt-out system in Wales, a study was done in the UK to poll the beliefs and attitudes after the switch. Surveys were anonymous, and data was then collected from 268 participants. According to this study, "82.8% said they would donate an organ to anyone who needed it however, 62.1% were not a registered organ donor and of those not registered 57.6% did not have enough knowledge about the donation process."(Johal, Bains, Churchward, Brand, & Malik, 2018). Lack of awareness among the public is a huge part of the problem. It is also extremely disappointing considering so many lives depend on these donations. 2 Information barriers need to be broken. The lack of awareness is causing fewer organ donors, which leads to more deaths. As of today, it is estimated that twenty people die every day waiting on a donation list. That's seven thousand three hundred mothers, fathers, brothers, sister, aunts or uncles dying per year. Making a change will not completely prevent all deaths; however, knowledge can help prevent a portion of these deaths per year. There are many people that have argued that the organ donation industry targets the poor and uneducated. Claiming how unethical it would be to legalize the sale of organs. Worried this will cause a divide between the poor who are more than likely the ones who would be victimized in this situation. And the wealthy who will be the ones able to pay these high prices. The argument of inequality is not a valid or fair reason to not consider this change. It’s more of a scapegoat or an excuse not to make this needed change. In the United States, inequality is not a new concept. This way of exploitation of the poor is nothing new it’s been happening for centuries. This opt-out system will also not eliminate those same individuals from selling blood, sperm, hair or plasma. Each of these processes are done with full consent and awareness. If anything, adding an opt-out system will add some balance to more of the wealthy that will be automatically listed as potential donors. Which again will bring value to the quality of donors as well as increasing the numbers that are already stacked against those who are waiting for organ transplants. Only three out of a thousand people that die a year are registered donors (Department of Health and Social Care). These numbers are devastating. Considering one life can save eight people ow many people (Department of Health and Social Care). So many lives could have been potentially saved if even nine hundred of those nine hundred and eighty-seven of those individuals were a part of the opt-out program. This is not about exploitation this is about a choice to save a life. The inequality is a major issue that already exists. Opting-out allows a better chance for more donors who are more than likely 2 issues in foreign countries that can cause more harm than good to citizens. Adding incentives for donors can only increase the registration, which is better than what is in place now. As sad as it is, the altruistic system is not working in today's society where the gap in organ donations increases by the day. Increasing awareness, combating risky situations and creating an atmosphere of incentives is the way the U.S can make a change. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, "the difference between what we are doing and what we are capable of doing would solve most of the world's problems (Bowden, 2013). The time is now to make changes, taking on and building on already proven success of movement regulations of blood, sperm, plasma, and hair. There is proven data from other countries this change can and does work. Why wait for more innocent people to die when there is a clear solution to this organ shortage crisis. 2 References Bowden, J. (2013). Feeling empty? Organ trafficking & trade: The black market for human organs. Intercultural human rights law review, 8, 451–495. Retrieved from https:// lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=ofs&AN=92892839&site=eds-live&scope=site Buying and selling organs for transplantation in the US. (2010). Retrieved from https:// www.medscape.org/viewarticle/465200_2 Department of health and social care. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/ organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care Harris, C. E., & Alcorn, S. P. (2001). To solve a deadly shortage: Economic incentives for human organ donation. Issues in law & medicine, 16(3), 213. Retrieved from https:// lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=a9h&AN=4333291&site=eds-live&scope=site Hudson, K. A., & Wheeler, E. (2008). Globalization and the black-market organ trade: When even a kidney can’t pay the bills. Disability studies quarterly, 28(4), 11. Retrieved fromhttps://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=ehh&AN=35069486&site=eds-live&scope=site Johal, J., Bains, H., Churchward, D., Brand, S., & Malik, S. (2018). Quantitative study of the beliefs and attitudes to organ donation and the “opt out” system amongst the Sikh community in UK. Transplantation proceedings. https://doi- org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.transproceed.2018.03.014 U.S. Department of health & human services. (2014). The need is real: Data. Retrieved from http://organdonor.gov/about/data.html 2 2