The ethical and social issues raised by transplants are so interrelated that the thread of any problem eventually leads to the whole tangled ball. This article, however, limits discussion to topics involving living donors in the United States. This restriction is not dictated solely by space constraints. Rather, the rise in the number of living donors gives a particular urgency to questions about informed consent, donor protection, and recipient needs. How we resolve conflicts of interest, addre…
Read moreThe ethical and social issues raised by transplants are so interrelated that the thread of any problem eventually leads to the whole tangled ball. This article, however, limits discussion to topics involving living donors in the United States. This restriction is not dictated solely by space constraints. Rather, the rise in the number of living donors gives a particular urgency to questions about informed consent, donor protection, and recipient needs. How we resolve conflicts of interest, address issues of consent, and define the scope of autonomy will shape the policies and practices that determine whether donors are protected and whether lives are lost or saved.