The Ethics of Transplants

Organ transplantation is beyond doubt a magnificent, life-saving medical advance. But transplantation raises a unique moral problem, in that every organ given to one person must come from another. For every recipient of a heart, or a liver, or a kidney, there must be a donor, alive or dead, who consents to this act. But what if a potential donor dies before making his or her wishes know? In this important and highly topical book, Janet Radcliffe Richards, a leading moral philosopher and author of The Skeptical Feminist, makes a strong and logical case for presumed consent, showing that obstacles put in the way of the procurement of organs conflict with the almost universally held position that it is desirable to save life and prevent suffering. She does not consider the social issues or the specifics of transplantation practice and policy, but instead focuses on drawing out the relevant moral reasoning for her argument. The author offers illuminating answers to questions of political philosophy regarding individual rights, ownership, and social obligations.