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

The liver is the only organ that will grow back to full size after a piece of it is transplanted. Thus, the organ could be divided into 4 parts and given to each of the 3 potential recipients, plus one part left over for the next person you might deem a worthy recipient.

I think that will very neatly solve your moral quandry.

Answer 2

I personally don't believe we should transfer body parts to bodies they don't belong to- we're not automobiles! But I'll play along. If I had the chance to save one of the three candidates' lives, I would choose the single mother, hands down. Why? Because the med school student likely has no responsibilities and no dependents. He's enjoyed childhood and his adult life hasn't really begun yet. The rich man, being rich, has enjoyed life for a time and if he has any dependents they will be taken care of through his fortune. He's 68, so he doesn't have long to live anyway. He can die happy, perhaps. The mother, regardless of what kind of mother she is, is right in the thick of her life and has the most to live for. Her children need her because they obviously have no one else (maybe the father would be able to take care of them, maybe not). Seeing your children grow up is far more valuable than graduating med school or living a dozen more years of old age, in my opinion. Even if the mother isn't a good one, she can always change, especially if someone saved her life!

Answer 3

this is tough because we have no background on each person, however i would give it to the med student..he has the ability to affect many others the one guy is old and at that age there are more complications, with transplants and health, now for the single mother this takes some thought , but i would not give it to her for several reasons first of all she is single and young with three kids, so she doesn;t make the best decisions, another reason is she has 3 kids, could not stop at 1 or 2 and she is poor which means my tax dollars will end up paying for the kids, they will probably be better off with out the slutty , poor decision making mom anyways-- do not get me wrong i need to see a picture of her cause face it i like a nice M.I.L.F

Answer 4

You would give it to the sickest of the three. If they are all equally sick, you would give it to the one who has been waiting the longest. If the wait time too is equal then you would give it to the one who would benefit most from it. The 68 year old may die of old age with a working liver so not him. The single mother does not have anyone to look after her and may not able to comply with the rigorous follow up and monitoring required after a liver transplant. The medical student is young, intelligent and well informed. He is likely to be compliant with his medications and follow up and he is likely to benefit the most from the liver. The single mother is not going to be able to look after her children during her illness (if she is sick enough to require a liver transplant) or for quite a while until she recovers from it so someone else is going to have to look after the children anyway.

Answer 5

First, are they all a match? Second, what are their situations? Is one an alcoholic? Third, who's situation is the most severe? Will the mom die in 3 months, while the old man has 5 more years left? Fourth, who's been on the list the longest? Fifth, who has other conditions that might cause them to die anyway?

That sucks!!! Good Luck with your project!

Answer 6

Giving it to the single mom of 3 kids at 24 is wrong. You are rewarding her for being irresponsible. Not giving it to the rich person is wrong because he is being punished for being successful. We are told in school to study hard. Why if we are punished for it? Actually since none of the three did anything to earn the liver and I assume you will not get paid for it the best way would be to toss a coin. If the single mom is on welfare she however should be eliminated for consideration regardless of anything else. I also am assuming that the rich man got to be rich honestly (He is not a Democrat).Of course if one of three is a relative that changes everything.

Answer 7

I don't think you can rationalize a correct selection. Those additional facts about each candidate are only there to point out to yourself your values and assumptions. It's good to learn about yourself that way. In the end, I think it must not be based on any of those criteria. It must be whoever is next on the list or the winner of a lottery. To select a candidate is the only wrong solution to the problem.

Answer 8

It should go to whomever is next on the list. If all are equally well matched then one couldn't be a drug user, etc... Thats why they have a list and its first come first serve for qualified candidates and things like drug addiction get you removed from the list.

Answer 9

After careful consideration I would give it to the med student. If we save his life, he has the best chance of going on to saving many more lives. Possibly the single mother (hopefully tying her tubes) and the rich man.

Answer 10

i think your question is quite legitimate...
i, personally, would give it to the mother, based on your criteria
i think giving it to her would not only benefit her, but would benefit her children and society would be relieved of having to 'foot the bills' for the caring of 3 homeless children because their mother did not get the liver