When is directed deceased donation justified? Practical, ethical, and legal issues

David Shaw*, Dale Gardiner, Rutger Ploeg, Anne Floden, Jessie Cooper, Alicia Perez-Blanco, Tineke Wind, Lydia Dijkhuizen, Nichon Jansen, Bernadette Haase-Kromwijk, ESOT ELPAT Working Group On Deceased Donation

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

This paper explores whether directed deceased organ donation should be permitted, and if so under which conditions. While organ donation and allocation systems must be fair and transparent, might it be "one thought too many" to prevent directed donation within families? We proceed by providing a description of the medical and legal context, followed by identification of the main ethical issues involved in directed donation, and then explore these through a series of hypothetical cases similar to those encountered in practice. Ultimately, we set certain conditions under which directed deceased donation may be ethically acceptable. We restrict our discussion to the allocation of organs to recipients already on the waiting list.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)333-338
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of the Intensive Care Society
Volume25
Issue number3
Early online date1 Feb 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2024

Keywords

  • Organ donation
  • directed deceased donation
  • ethics
  • law
  • family

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