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Altruism in organ donation : an unnecessary requirement?

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Moorlock, Greg, Ives, Jonathan and Draper, Heather (2013) Altruism in organ donation : an unnecessary requirement? Journal of Medical Ethics, 40 (2). pp. 134-138. doi:10.1136/medethics-2012-100528

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2012-100528

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Abstract

Altruism has long been taken to be the guiding principle of ethical organ donation in the UK, and has been used as justification for rejecting or allowing certain types of donation. We argue that, despite this prominent role, altruism has been poorly defined in policy and position documents, and used confusingly and inconsistently. Looking at how the term has been used over recent years allows us to define ‘organ donation altruism’, and comparing this with accounts in the philosophical literature highlights its theoretical shortcomings. The recent report from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics reaffirmed the importance of altruism in organ donation, and offered a clearer definition. This definition is, however, more permissive than that of altruism previously seen in UK policy, and as a result allows some donations that previously have been considered unacceptable. We argue that while altruistic motivation may be desirable, it is not necessary.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BJ Ethics
R Medicine > RD Surgery
Divisions: Faculty of Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Health Sciences
Faculty of Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Health Sciences > Social Science & Systems in Health (SSSH)
Faculty of Medicine > Warwick Medical School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Donation of organs, tissues, etc., Altruism
Journal or Publication Title: Journal of Medical Ethics
Publisher: BMJ Group
ISSN: 0306-6800
Official Date: 28 March 2013
Dates:
DateEvent
28 March 2013Available
12 March 2013Accepted
Date of first compliant deposit: 12 January 2017
Volume: 40
Number: 2
Page Range: pp. 134-138
DOI: 10.1136/medethics-2012-100528
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Open Access
Funder: Arts & Humanities Research Council (Great Britain) (AHRC), University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

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