Utilitarianism Of Organ Donations

study of 61 OPOs revealed that only 5 OPOs (8 percent) were likely to procure organs based on a person's wishes as indicated on an organ donor card, if the family objected to donation ( Moskop, 2003). While some might argue that Nicole’s organ donor card contains final authority, it is important to consider other factors. If Nicole could have foreseen the accident and her parent’s grief in addition to their reluctance to allow organ donation, would she still wish to donate or would her concern for her family incline her to allow her parents’ wishes to be honored instead? It may be easy to assume that classic utilitarianism supports the action of harvesting Nicole’s organs against her parents’ wishes since providing the gift of life to multiple candidates results in the greatest happiness for the most people (Vaughn, 2013).
If the OPO proceeds with harvesting her organ under family protest, the conflict produced by family refusal, disagreement with the healthcare team, possible lawsuits, and possible complaint to the news media could create a firestorm. This bad publicity could certainly cause other families and potential donors to distrust the OPO and avoid organ donation for themselves or their loved ones. In light of the bad publicity, the theory of utilitarianism would direct the healthcare team to follow the family’s wishes so that more families will trust the OPO and agree to organ donation in the future, thus, increasing the chances that more candidates will consent to organ donation. This creates satisfaction for Nicole’s parents and increases the chances that the OPO will maintain a solid reputation in the