AN ORGAN FOR TRANSPLANT? ANYONE?

An Oregon inmate, Christian Longon, 37, has been sentenced to death row has requested that his organs should be used for transplant after his death. He is campaigning from behind bars to donate his organs after he is executed. He wants to repay society for the three murders he committed. This inmate wants to take more of a responsibility for taking three lives of his family as he killed them more than a decade ago. He says he doesn’t want to waste his organs because it could potentially save six to twelve lives. Actually he offered to drop his appeals to his case in exchange for letting the state allow his to donate organs. This plea has been denied by the state correction officers because the organ donation officials and medical ethicists have denounced this would be “morally reprehensible.” Dr. Paul Helft, director Medical Ethics at Indiana University has said that society wouldn’t want organs from prisoners. He also is quoted,” To do so would be to use unfree prisoners as a means to an end.”

Longon has made Facebook pages as well as his own website questioning whether they could change the donation policies. The polices at organ donation centers prohibit accepting organs from executed inmates, but occasionally accept organs that die from natural causes. Longon would have a better chance of donating his organs if he were injured or suffered from a stroke. However, only once or twice in the past twenty years that inmates in custody have donated organs.

Organ transplant advocates have said they wouldn’t care who’s organ it is. They say this would increase the number of available organs. However, doctor and ethicists say there are more societal questions at stake than to change their policies. Longo has said he could donate his heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, as well as other tissues which could go towards the 768 organ weight list in Oregon. Living prisoners have been allowed to donate organs but typically only to immediate family members. The inmate or the recipient’s family must pay the bill. Another problem with organ donations from executed prisoners is the lethal injection which could make organs unsuitable for transplant, as well as the high rate of diseases these prisoners have. The main problem however is a physiological one because the United States has such a high and ethical moral standard. Currently, two-thirds of organ donations from China are from prisoners.

Longo has said he won’t drop the appeals. If he were to drop the appeals, he would be executed within 90 days. At this rate, he won’t be executed for another ten years. The correction officials still do not have any interests in negotiating with Longo.

I find this article interesting because organ shortage is a definite problem. Having willing prisoners donate their organs is an easy way to ease the shortage. The prisoners are typically younger and healthy. However, I agree with the doctors and ethicists in this situation. Yes, many lives could be saved, but I believe many lives would be incorrectly persecuted. If a jury stand knew the suspects organs could be used for transplant, their decision would have a bias. I believe the rate of death penalties would increase.

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