| Normative consent and organ donation: a vindication. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 21429959 Owner: NLM Status: Publisher |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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In an earlier article, I argued that David Estlund's notion of 'normative consent' could provide justification for an opt-out system of organ donation that does not involve presumptions about the deceased donor's consent. Where it would be wrong of someone to refuse their consent, then the fact that they have not actually given it is irrelevant, though an explicit denial of consent (as in opting out) may still be binding. My argument has recently been criticised by Potts et al, who argue that such a policy would involve taking organs from people whose organs should not be taken and would be a recipe for totalitarianism. The present response seeks to rebut both the ethical and political objections. I argue that people can indeed be under a moral obligation to donate their organs, even if they are not technically dead at the time and their donation does not save anyone else's life. Moreover, I argue that an opt-out system-unlike mandatory donation-is not totalitarian because it preserves the right of individuals to act morally wrongly, by opting out when they have no good moral reason to do so. The policy I propose is neither immoral nor totalitarian. |
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Authors:
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Ben Saunders |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE Date: 2011-3-23 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Journal of medical ethics Volume: - ISSN: 1473-4257 ISO Abbreviation: - Publication Date: 2011 Mar |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2011-3-24 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 7513619 Medline TA: J Med Ethics Country: - |
Other Details:
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Languages: ENG Pagination: - Citation Subset: - |
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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