Organ transplantation – a

moral case study

ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION

Can anyone name any organs that are transplanted?

-heart-kidney-lungs-liver-pancreas-bone marrow-corneal material in eye

Where do these organs come from?

• People who have died• Donors who are related to the patient• Donors who are unknown to the patient• Aborted or still-born babies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O48LJ4EMNqE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuKx2a5HkIM

You will be reading about four patients who are waiting for a heart transplant.

One heart has become available, and all of the patients’ immune systems would accept this heart equally well.

Spend five minutes to silently read the cases and get acquainted with the four patients.

Write this question into jotters. Which person do you think should receive a heart transplant & why?

Name Age Occupation Medical History Lifestyle Jack    

   12

Very promising student. Wants to be a doctor and save lives. 

Was very ill as a baby and is often unwell. 

Very quiet boy. He has a few friends at school but is often targeted by bullies. 

 Emily   

  41

Is a full time Mum to three children aged 14, 9 and 2. 

Has been drinking a lot. Her family have asked her to seek help. 

Emily is a single parent. Her husband died last year and the family have found this hard to cope with.  

 Michael  

  28

Professional footballer. 

Very fit and healthy until recent collapse on the pitch. Was previously banned for taking steroids. 

Michael does a lot of charity work and recently set up a football camp for under-privileged children in inner city areas.

 Rosie   

 60

Retired nursery nurse.  Is a foster parent to a child with special needs. 

Is healthy for her age, gave up smoking 6 months ago. 

Is a foster parent to a child with special needs. She spends time volunteering at her local youth centre. 

Now use the case studies to identify the criteria you believe should be used for allocating hearts for transplantation and decide who should receive the heart.

What criteria would you use in deciding who got a transplant?

• Value in community• Rich• Earning potential• Needed by their families• Young• Old• Beautiful

What other types of transplantation have you heard of in the news?

ANIMAL (organs taken from animals & used for humans)

Name the most commonly heard of? Mouse with ear

Xenotransplantation Last week we learnt about the fact that many

people are waiting for an organ donation…and that many will never receive the organ they are waiting for.

Xenotransplantation is one solution to the shortage of organs.

Xenotransplantation is the process of transferring (transplanting) organs, tissues, or cells from one species to another.   The term comes from combining "xeno", the Greek world for stranger.

An example is the transplant of a kidney from a pig into a human.

Explain, in your own words, what is Xenotransplantation?

Xenotransplantation Nelson Elrick is an expert in the field. He

says;“Xenotransplantation could potentially provide an unlimited supply of cells, tissues, and organs for humans. Any disease that is treated by human-to-human transplantation could potentially be treated by xenotransplantation. Organ xenotransplants could include whole hearts, lungs, livers, kidneys or pancreases. Tissue xenotransplants could include skin grafts for burn patients, corneal transplants for the visually impaired, or bone transplants for limb reconstruction. Cellular xenotransplants may provide treatment for people with diabetes, Alzheimer's or Parkinson's diseases.”

The last hundred years has witnessed many attempts to carry out animal-to-human organ transplants - all have failed. Pigs are now being genetically manipulated to carry human genes in the hope that this catalogue of failure and misery can be turned into a viable medical treatment. Approximately 6,000 people are on the waiting lists for human organs: does xenotransplantation offer them real hope, or might it be one of the greatest medical disasters of all time?

Taken from www.uncaged.co.uk 7/11/12

A pressure group against the use of animals for human gain

Xenotransplantation

What do you think? Do you agree with Xenotransplantation? Give reasons for your answer.

DEATH ROW ORGANS FOR SALE!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5hLGxWQW9AWatch the clip. Explain in your own words, what you think about China done? What do you think?

POSTER TASK

Design a campaign poster to convince people to donate their organs.

Ensure you treat the subject carefully – remember you are talking about what will happen when someone dies.

How could you encourage someone to talk to their parents about this?