A question of ethics: One liver, three potential candidates. Who should the liver go to?

Question

I have a biology project, and i'm a little stuck. I'm NOT asking you to give me any answers, but i'm interested in your two cents.

Here is a fictitious situation: there's one liver and three EQUALLY WELL MATCHED candidates, a rich man, age 68, a poor single mother of three little kids, 24, and a 3rd year med student, 25.

What criteria should be used to decide who gets the liver? (i thought it's unethical to decide based on age, gender, or race) Based on this, who should get the liver?

I guess at first thought you may want to give the single mother the liver, i did too, but give it a little more thought. whats your reason to? You don't know any of these people.
For all you know, the single mother could be a drug addict. Maybe, maybe not. The Med student could drop out of school anytime. You don't know. The old guy could be the CEO of a company, if he kicks the bucket, what'll happen to the buisness?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and opinions. =D

Answer 1

My first gut reaction was the young mother (who has children depending on her), followed by the medical student (who potentially has the most to offer humanity), followed by the rich man (who can probably afford to buy a liver--since a person can live with only part of a liver, a person can safely donate [or sell] part of his or her liver to a rich person) I think there is one other criteria, which is usually what the organ donation groups use--who is the most critically ill? That is, who is the most likely to die first without a new liver. How long a person has been waiting for a transplant and how sick the person is usually dictate placement on transplant lists. Using such criteria is probably the fairest way to distribute such a limited resource, but it can lead to what many consider bad decisions. For example, a few years ago I was appalled that state funds were used to pay for a heart transplant to a person in prison for life. If I had had a loved one on the heart transplant list I would have been livid.

Answer 2

There is a protocol in place for these sorts of decisions, and it is not based on age, gender or race. The basic decision is where will have the most lasting effect. You can pretty well scratch the rich man from the equation. At 68, he has the potential of fewer than 20 years of life with the new liver. The medical student is 25, and has the potential of living another 60 years, as does the mother. So the choice would be between those two. Going further into it, the selection would depend on which of the two was the best match. And here is where sex may come in. If the donor was female, the woman might be the best match, if male, the med student would get it.
You can't base it on whether the med student is going to drop out of med school or not, and you would certainly know if the mother was a drug addict. If she was, she would immediately drop to the bottom of the list.

Answer 3

Yeah, it's tough! Liver transplants are not as common either. A lot of follow up is needed too from what I read. I'm thinking the 68 yr. old would not be my first choice due to his age and the lack of years to benefit from rare liver transplant. Single mom is going to need so much help with her kids any way you look at it. Med student may have the best chance for a successful outcome.

Answer 4

I would gather the three candidates together and explain that there is only one liver. Then I would ask each one of them to explain why they should get the liver. Then have them secretly vote for any of the other two. Count the votes, that's the person who gets it. If it's a tie, then I would have the three of them discuss it more. Let them decide upon it. It's their lives after all, and not ours.

It's a nice solution, although it is kind of a cop-out.

Answer 5

I say put all three candidates in a steel cage match and give them weapons, and instruct them to fight to the death. Who ever is alive at the end gets the liver.

Answer 6

I would give it to the med student because he could ultimately do the most good for society.

Answer 7

That would be asking me to play God..

Question really is,, which of the two do I let Die?

There is NO FAIR answer!!

Answer 8

In all fairness, I'd go by who's been on the waiting list longer. No life is worth more than another.