Legal and ethical aspects of organ donation after euthanasia in Belgium and the Netherlands

Organ donation after euthanasia has been performed more than 40 times in Belgium and the Netherlands together. Preliminary results of procedures that have been performed until now demonstrate that this leads to good medical results in the recipient of the organs. Several legal aspects could be chang...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Journal of Medical Ethics. in. - Society for the Study of Medical Ethics. - 42(2016), 8, Seite 486-489
1. Verfasser: Bollen, Jan (VerfasserIn)
Weitere Verfasser: ten Hoopen, Rankie, Ysebaert, Dirk, van Mook, Walther, van Heurn, Ernst
Format: Online-Aufsatz
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: 2016
Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk:Journal of Medical Ethics. in
Schlagworte:Health sciences Behavioral sciences Economics Environmental studies Education
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Organ donation after euthanasia has been performed more than 40 times in Belgium and the Netherlands together. Preliminary results of procedures that have been performed until now demonstrate that this leads to good medical results in the recipient of the organs. Several legal aspects could be changed to further facilitate the combination of organ donation and euthanasia. On the ethical side, several controversies remain, giving rise to an ongoing, but necessary and useful debate. Further experiences will clarify whether both procedures should be strictly separated and whether the dead donor rule should be strictly applied. Opinions still differ on whether the patient's physician should address the possibility of organ donation after euthanasia, which laws should be adapted and which preparatory acts should be performed. These and other procedural issues potentially conflict with the patient's request for organ donation or the circumstances in which euthanasia (without subsequent organ donation) traditionally occurs.
ISSN:14734257