Organ Transplant of Infants With Anencephaly Arguments...

Organ Transplant of Infants with Anencephaly: Anencephaly is described as neural tube defect that has severe limits on the lifespan of affected infants. The condition is likely to contribute to the failure of the neural tissue to an extent that it can completely close at the cephalic end of the neural system. This medical condition in infants tends to occur between the third and fourth week of a womans pregnancy resulting in the absence of the cerebral cortex though the brain stem remains intact. While the brain stem manages autonomic functions like blood pressure and heart rate, the cerebral cortex is in charge of functions like purposeful actions, memories, consciousness, and emotions. Infants with these conditions who are born alive tend to have a basic brain stem that can support reflex action like breathing as well as certain reactions to touch or sound. There are several arguments that have been raised regarding the use organs of anencephalic infants who are born alive to save the lives of other newborns. These arguments have emerged because of the consideration that infants with anencephaly are not persons. Arguments on the Use of Organs of Anencephalic Infants: According to the current medical ethics and state laws, human organs cannot be removed and used for transplant purposes until the donor is legally dead (Koukl, par, 2). The main reason for this logic is to prevent abuses even though every rule or rationale has certain exceptions. Anencephalic newbornsShow MoreRelatedIs Anencephaly A Congenital Neurological Disorder?1009 Words   |  5 PagesAnencephaly is a congenital neurological disorder characterized by absence of the cerebrum and cerebellum, as well as the top of the skull, resulting in exposure of the brain stem. Even though the brain stem is exposed this does not mean that the babies brain or head is completely missing. This is considered one of the more serious birth defects that a baby can have because they baby will never have the brain power to grow and become an adult. Many of these babies are exposed to various infectionsRead MoreEssay on Xenotransplantation3333 Wo rds   |  14 Pagesfaced with a growing list of patients awaiting transplants for organs that have failed, but there are not enough donors to meet these needs. Countries all over the world have a â€Å"human organ shortage† and the waiting lists for organ transplants only seem to grow longer (Melo 427). In the United States 62,000 patients needed a kidney, liver, or pancreatic transplant in the year 2001. Xenotransplantation, which refers to the transplantation of organs, cells, or tissues from animal species into humanRead MoreHuman Stem Cell Research : Ethical Dilemmas With The Utility Of Embryonic Stem Cells1879 Words   |  8 Pagesenvironmental conditions. However, the potential of an embryo is not limited to environmental conditions. An IVF embryo still has full potential if it is placed in the uterus of a mother. One can draw the conclusion that an embryo has full potential if we support the embryo in its development. In the case where an embryo’s developme nt is affected by external conditions, the mother may choose to have the embryo flushed out and placed in a surrogate mother, or attempt to somehow have the embryo develop insideRead More The Shift in Abortion Policy in the 1800s Essay5421 Words   |  22 Pagesby Horatio Storer in the late 1850s, used a campaign against abortion to establish the regular doctors as superior to the irregulars. If they could convince the public that abortion was wrong, they would be on a moral and ethical high ground. Support for Anti-abortion Campaign from the Media and Comstock The media, especially the New York Times, supported the anti-abortion campaign. Nativism played out in the medias portrayal of abortion doctors as immigrants, especially German Jews (Beisel