Wednesday, February 18, 2009
<http://notdeadyetnewscommentary.blogspot.com/2009/02/journal-nurses-research-into-ethics-of.html>Journal: Nurse's research into the ethics of organ donation causes her to reconsider her support http://notdeadyetnewscommentary.blogspot.com/2009/02/journal-nurses-research-into-ethics-of.html Once in awhile, something comes along that really surprises me. This is one of those times. The January issue of <http://www.nursingcenter.com/library/journalissue.asp?Journal_ID=54016&Issue_ID=840565>Nursing2009 not only has an article harshly critical of organ harvesting regulations and protocols, it has made the article available online. In <http://www.nursingcenter.com/library/JournalArticle.asp?Article_ID=835990>Speaking up for organ donors (link to html version, with additional link to pdf on the page), Ellen Bridget Linde, RN, BSN explores the values she and other nurses espouse and how they come into conflict with organ harvesting practices. From the article: AS NURSES, WE FACE TOUGH ethical dilemmas as we provide end-of-life care, especially when our patients are candidates for organ donation. In this article, I'll explore two basic issues: how death is defined and who makes decisions for potential organ donors who haven't made their wishes known. First, let's look at some basic ethical principles. Examining your values Nurses must consider respect for life and bodily integrity in light of the procedure for recovering organs. Nursing is primarily grounded in beneficence (doing good) and nonmaleficence (not doing harm). But nurses interpret these guiding principles in various ways. Some, believing that removing vital organs is what kills the patient, view organ donation performed under current criteria for pronouncing death as an act of killing. Others suggest that organ donation is a “moral duty, an obligation,” considering society's lack of alternative healthcare resources. But not all nurses are comfortable with a value system driven primarily by the needs of transplant recipients rather than by the needs of the potential donor. The middle of the article details the various ways in which death has been defined and redefined, partly in response to the demand for more availability of organs for transplantation. Since the article is freely accessible, I leave it to others to go read the exploration of the complications surrounding brain death, non-heart-beating donation, and other matters affecting organ harvesting practices. Bottom line: there are non-trivial conflicts between traditional values espoused in the nursing profession and organ harvesting practices to make a number of practitioners a little queasy: Studies indicate that although nurses generally report positive attitudes toward the idea of donation, their unwillingness to donate their own organs or the organs of their family members suggests either some uncertainty or other barriers to donation. Perioperative nurses involved in organ procurement experience a variety of feelings as they participate in the removal of organs from a body that physically appears the same as that of any other surgical patient. Perioperative nurses have described their participation in organ procurement as disrespectful, traumatic, and emotionally draining. Where do I stand on organ donation? When I started researching this article, I was an avid, outspoken advocate for organ donation, but I've since had a change of heart. Shewmon's study of 175 patients who met the full criteria for whole-brain death led me to conclude that it's ethically wrong to recover organs from a person who's still breathingregardless of whether or not breathing is achieved through mechanical ventilation. Although I'm no longer a potential organ donor, I'm an avid and outspoken supporter of stem cell research because I believe it's a realistic alternative to organ procurement. The Shewmon study referred to showed that many individuals meeting the full criteria for brain death were still alive in ways that this nurse considered meaningful. Neither the Shewmon study nor this article come close to talking about some even more disturbing aspects of brain death determination. More about that next week. --Stephen Drake (thanks to Nancy Valko for pointing this article out) Posted by Not Dead Yet at <http://notdeadyetnewscommentary.blogspot.com/2009/02/journal-nurses-research-into-ethics-of.html>12:23 PM <http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=6744687192704772594&postID=7894049602096108769> <*}}}>< <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/on+allposters+today.html>on AllPosters today <*}}}><<*}}}>< <http://astore.amazon.com/halthekin-20>Catholic on Amazon <*}}}>< + <*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Holy Postage <*}}}>< <*}}}><<http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Half the <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Kingdom!<*}}}>< + "The fruit of abortion is nuclear war" - Bl. Mother Teresa + <*}}}>< <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/on+allposters+today.html>on AllPosters today <*}}}><<*}}}>< <http://astore.amazon.com/halthekin-20>Catholic on Amazon <*}}}>< + <*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Holy Postage <*}}}>< <*}}}><<http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Half the <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Kingdom!<*}}}>< + "The fruit of abortion is nuclear war" - Bl. Mother Teresa + --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Please note that I do not send or open attachments sent to this list. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Catholics on Fire" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Catholics-on-Fire May the blessing of Jesus and our Blessed Mother be with you -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
