Organ Allocation Policies 10 Years After UNESCO's Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Public Health Policy
• Medical Law

Background:

• The "Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights" was adopted by UNESCO.
• This declaration is a significant legally binding global document on bioethics.
• October 19, 2015, marked its 10th anniversary.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the relevance of the UNESCO declaration to organ allocation.
• To underscore the ethical considerations in organ distribution policies.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the principles within the UNESCO Declaration.
• Identification of principles directly applicable to organ allocation.

Main Results:

• Key principles for organ allocation include benefit/harm (Art. 4), equality/justice/equity (Art. 10), and non-discrimination (Art. 11).
• Additional relevant principles are solidarity (Art. 13), social responsibility/health access (Art. 14), and benefit sharing (Art. 15).

Conclusions:

• Organ allocation policies must adhere to the principles established in the UNESCO Declaration.
• Disregarding these bioethical principles in organ allocation is not permissible.