The Moral Implications of Organ Farming

Abstract

Organ transplantation is now widely considered the preferred mode of organ replacement therapy for patients suffering from organ failure.  The success rate of organ transplantation goes with organ shortages. This has led to thousands of patients dying on the organ waiting list. Some have argued that human-to-human organ donation is an ethical response to the problem of organ shortages but human-to-human organ donation has not done enough to close the gap between the demand and supply of human organs. Steps need to be taken to improve the organ donation pool. The paper suggests organ farming. Organ farming is the genetic cultivation of human organs for clinical transplantation. The moral implications of organ farming include the question of human dignity, organ farming as playing God, and the destruction of embryos. From the Utilitarian standpoint,  if organ farming promises to be good for the greatest number of persons it should be permitted,  while the unethical practice of organ farming is regulated by law.