Killing for human organs

[Bill McEnaney]

Hi Everybody,

In the discussion about donating bodies to science, I explained why I believe that it's immoral to harvest vital organs from living. So here's an article about a similar topic (http://dailycaller.com/2012/02/10/the-k ... s-pushers/).

Bill

[Ivellious]

I still think he's making a bigger deal out of this than it really is. If a body is brain dead and completely disabled (a vegetable, for all intensive purposes), the articles he lists claim that it is not immoral or wrong to remove life support (thereby ending the life of the cells in the body) and using the organs for medical procedures. How is that "wrong?" It can be only if you define "living" as "having living cells." In which case, most people would have to be considered alive until hours after their heart stops beating. I still maintain that if your brain is no longer functional, you are no longer a living human being, but rather a corpse that our technology helps to beat your heart for you.

[Danieltwotwenty]

I still think he's making a bigger deal out of this than it really is. If a body is brain dead and completely disabled (a vegetable, for all intensive purposes), the articles he lists claim that it is not immoral or wrong to remove life support (thereby ending the life of the cells in the body) and using the organs for medical procedures. How is that "wrong?" It can be only if you define "living" as "having living cells." In which case, most people would have to be considered alive until hours after their heart stops beating. I still maintain that if your brain is no longer functional, you are no longer a living human being, but rather a corpse that our technology helps to beat your heart for you.

Well it looks like we have something we agree on Ivellious.

[Danieltwotwenty]

most people would have to be considered alive until hours after their heart stops beating.

Good point, it could even be days as hair and nails continue to grow after death.

[Danieltwotwenty]

How is that "wrong?" It can be only if you define "living" as "having living cells."

I would only be a little carefull here, an embryo may only be living cells but has the potential to live beyond that stage where as the deceased body no longer contains life and would cease to function once a machine was turned off.


Dan

[wrain62]

How is that "wrong?" It can be only if you define "living" as "having living cells."

I would only be a little carefull here, an embryo may only be living cells but has the potential to live beyond that stage where as the deceased body no longer contains life and would cease to function once a machine was turned off.


Dan

Yeah if a person is capable of recovery from being brain dead than it would be immoral to kill them.

[Danieltwotwenty]

How is that "wrong?" It can be only if you define "living" as "having living cells."

I would only be a little carefull here, an embryo may only be living cells but has the potential to live beyond that stage where as the deceased body no longer contains life and would cease to function once a machine was turned off.


Dan

Yeah if a person is capable of recovery from being brain dead than it would be immoral to kill them.

I agree, there has to be 0% chance of recovery.

[Danieltwotwenty]

How is that "wrong?" It can be only if you define "living" as "having living cells."

I would only be a little carefull here, an embryo may only be living cells but has the potential to live beyond that stage where as the deceased body no longer contains life and would cease to function once a machine was turned off.


Dan

Yeah if a person is capable of recovery from being brain dead than it would be immoral to kill them.

Would it also be immoral to turn off life support if there is a slight chance of recovery?


Dan

[jestes]

While I didn't read the article, I do have a little comment I'd like to add.

I have come to believe that the girl I've been dating is the one who God made for me. That's another story though. However, when she was a child she was the recipient of a liver transplant. Without that transplant, she would have been dead a long time ago. Her donor was a 60 something year old woman who died of an aneurysm in her brain. Before I met her I was apathetic to the idea of organ donation. I wasn't opposed to it, I just didn't care either way. Now I have signed up as an organ donor. If Christ gave his body for me while he was still using it, it doesn't seem like much to give my body for someone else after I'm done with it. I don't think it's immoral at all to harvest organs from someone who's brain has ceased to function, yet their body remains "alive" due to machines.

[Danieltwotwenty]

While I didn't read the article, I do have a little comment I'd like to add.

I have come to believe that the girl I've been dating is the one who God made for me. That's another story though. However, when she was a child she was the recipient of a liver transplant. Without that transplant, she would have been dead a long time ago. Her donor was a 60 something year old woman who died of an aneurysm in her brain. Before I met her I was apathetic to the idea of organ donation. I wasn't opposed to it, I just didn't care either way. Now I have signed up as an organ donor. If Christ gave his body for me while he was still using it, it doesn't seem like much to give my body for someone else after I'm done with it. I don't think it's immoral at all to harvest organs from someone who's brain has ceased to function, yet their body remains "alive" due to machines.