Comments related to the ethics of organ donation
Note: This posting uses the Biblical Essay titled, The Value and Dignity of Human Life, by Chee-Chiew Lee, as she has made a reasonable attempt at summarizing what the Bible says about the worth of persons.[1]
The idea of a meaningful or worthwhile life has become an important consideration in medical decisions. When a patient has a severe head injury or stroke, it is not uncommon to hear, as part of decision making, “he/she will never return to a meaningful life.” … Read the rest
Yesterday the Canadian government introduced legislation to legalize doctor assisted suicide. One commentary said, “if passed, this would allow some Canadians to kill others, with support of the state.” Christians are saying we may not cross this sacred line, for human life may not be violated. How alarmed or upset should we be about this development? Are we really crossing a sacred line?
I take it this will be the first time that federal law will support some Canadians killing others, where the Bible instructs them not to kill.… Read the rest
Why do I talk about personhood? Personhood has come to be part of the discussion of organ donation, abortion, and euthanasia. Why?
A basic definition of personhood is the state of being a person. This is important because we place special value, along with moral and legal rights and responsibilities, upon persons. So, when we want to attribute rights and responsibilities to certain people, or we want to take rights and responsibilities away from certain people, we can, in our arguments, attempt to show it is right to do so by attributing, or by not attributing, personhood to them.… Read the rest
Before you read this: I understand, for some, the conclusions drawn in this post may be difficult. It may be helpful to first read the follow blog posting — What IF You Did Not Know?
Organ transplantation has quite an appeal. A child dying from congenital heart disease receives a “new” heart. A mother receives a “new” liver after hers is damaged by a pregnancy related blood clot. Yet, there are concerns about the retrieval of vital organs. Vital organs must be taken from living bodies that, as a result, die. … Read the rest