Organ donation and transplantation: an ethical analysis

The experience of developing and implementing an organ procurement program for a health care agency is most rewarding. Being so deeply involved in the program development forces one to look at the ethical issues head on in an attempt to deal with them personally. Rather than just study the ethical issues at hand, participation in a program allows one to examine the issues in practice. It is likely that medical technology will continue to advance in scope. Health care professionals must keep abreast of the rapid changes that are occurring and confront the ethical issues involved. Only by confronting these issues can health care professionals begin to realistically resolve concerns and provide support for advances that will ultimately allow for growth in practice.