Ethics Question
I normally don't ask this of many people, but I was wondering if anyone could leave their thoughts on the following subject. It is for a paper in my ethics class, and I just want to see what others think about it.
Organs fo Dollars:
In the country of Fergustan, prisoners on death row are given the opportunity to donate their organs. Prisoners who choose the donor program know that they will be fed better, housed better, and treated better than other death row inmates. Many prisoners opt for the organ donor program.
It turns out that there is a Fergustanese community in the U.S. Many of its members have tissues that match many of the people in Fergustan. A tissue match greatly increases the likelihood of a successful operationand patient survival. Sale of organs in the U.S. helps Fergustan raise valuable foriegn exchange.
The way the system works is that a U.S. hospital puts in an order for a heart. Upon recieving the order, the authorities in Fergustan examine their medical records, find a prisoner with matching tissues, execute him, harvest his heart, and send it to the hospital.
Flattbottom, the Furgustanese bureaucrat who set up the program, reasons that everyone wins. 1. The prisoner has happier Last days 2. Fergustan makes money 3. The patient recieves the gift of life.
Basicly, the prisoners are excuted more if there is a big demand for organs, and less if there is little need for organs. They don't know when it will happen. Fun stuff.
Anyways, I have this and several other papers to work on before I run off to Psy at 1. All on an hour an a half of sleep. Sweet!
Organs fo Dollars:
In the country of Fergustan, prisoners on death row are given the opportunity to donate their organs. Prisoners who choose the donor program know that they will be fed better, housed better, and treated better than other death row inmates. Many prisoners opt for the organ donor program.
It turns out that there is a Fergustanese community in the U.S. Many of its members have tissues that match many of the people in Fergustan. A tissue match greatly increases the likelihood of a successful operationand patient survival. Sale of organs in the U.S. helps Fergustan raise valuable foriegn exchange.
The way the system works is that a U.S. hospital puts in an order for a heart. Upon recieving the order, the authorities in Fergustan examine their medical records, find a prisoner with matching tissues, execute him, harvest his heart, and send it to the hospital.
Flattbottom, the Furgustanese bureaucrat who set up the program, reasons that everyone wins. 1. The prisoner has happier Last days 2. Fergustan makes money 3. The patient recieves the gift of life.
Basicly, the prisoners are excuted more if there is a big demand for organs, and less if there is little need for organs. They don't know when it will happen. Fun stuff.
Anyways, I have this and several other papers to work on before I run off to Psy at 1. All on an hour an a half of sleep. Sweet!