The dead donor rule: how much does the public care...and how much should we care?
In this brief commentary, we reflect on the recent study by Siminoff, Burant, and Youngner of public attitudes toward "brain death" and organ donation, focusing on the implications of their findings for the rules governing from whom organs can be obtained. Although the data suggest that many seem to view "brain death" as "as good as death" rather than "dead" (calling the dead donor rule into question), we find that the study most clearly demonstrates that understanding an individual's definition of death is neither a straightforward task nor a good predictor of views about donation. Reflecting on the implications for ongoing debates over the dead donor rule, we suggest that perhaps it is not a change in policy that is warranted, but rather a change in the priorities that have garnered such intense focus on this issue within the field of bioethics.
Crowley-Matoka
Megan
M
Department of Medicine and Anthropology, VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, University of Pittsburgh, USA.
Arnold
Robert M
RM
D001675:Bioethics; D001926:Brain Death; D032921:Consensus; D003643:Death; D036262:Empirical Research; D006292:Health Priorities; D006801:Humans; D019520:Living Donors; D011050:Policy Making; D011639:Public Opinion; D020458:Third-Party Consent; D014019:Tissue Donors; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000941:ethics*