Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Recent advances in medical technology have made it possible to transplant organs into infants with severe heart and kidney disease, but the need for these organs exceeds the presently available supply. Some have suggested that infants born with the severe neurological defect of anencephaly might be used as organ donors, even if these infants do not meet the criteria for brain death. Current criteria for brain death are reviewed and it is concluded that this proposal represents active euthanasia or medical killing of infants with anencephaly. Justification of active euthanasia is discussed in medical, ethical, and historical terms. Recently developed protocols to obtain organs for transplantation from infants with anencephaly after brain death has been determined are described and their ethical implications are discussed. It is argued that active euthanasia of infants with anencephaly is undesirable and should be prohibited in order to safeguard the rights of all persons with severe neurological disabilities.

Keywords

advocacy “Baby Doe,”bioethics euthanasia medical treatment public policy seriously ill newborns

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Annas

G. J.

(1987). From Canada with love: Anencephalic newborns as organ donors? Hastings Center Report, 17, 36–38.

Bailey

L. L.

Nehlsen-Cannarella

S. L.

Conception

Jolley

W. B.

(1985). Baboon to human cardiac transplantation in a neonate. Journal of the American Medical Association, 254, 3321–3329.

Baird

P. A.

Sadovnick

A. D.

(1984). Survival in infants with anencephaly. Clinical Pediatrics, 23, 268–272.

Caplan

A. L.

(in press). Should fetuses or infants be utilized as organ donors? Bioethics.

Capron

A. M.

(1987). Anencephalic donors: Separate the dead from the dying. Hastings Center Report, 17, 5–9.

Coulter

D. L.

(1987). Neurologic uncertainty in newborn intensive care. New England Journal of Medicine, 316, 840–844.

Coulter

D. L.

(1988). Ethical issues in the treatment of persons with mental retardation. Manuscript submitted for publication.

Coulter

D. L.

Murray

T. H.

Cerreto

M. C.

(1988). Practical ethics in pediatrics. Current Problems in Pediatrics, 18, 137–195.

Elwood

J. M.

Elwood

J. H.

(1980). Epidemiology of anencephalus and spina bifida. New York: Oxford University Press.

10.

Friede

R. L.

(1975). Developmental neuropathology. New York: Springer-Verlag.

11.

Gorman

(1988, February 1). A balancing act of life and death. Time Magazine, p. 49.

12.

Holzgreve

Beller

F. K.

Buchholz

Hansmann

Kohler

(1987). Kidney transplantation from anencephalic donors. New England Journal of Medicine, 316, 1069–1070.

13.

Jonsen

A. R.

Siegler

Winslade

W. J.

(1986). Clinical ethics (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.

14.

Lemire

R. J.

Beckwith

J. B.

Warkany

(1978). Anencephaly. New York: Raven Press.

15.

Lifton

R. J.

(1986). The Nazi doctors: Medical killing and the psychology of genocide. New York: Basic Books.

16.

Lum

C. T.

(1985). Current thinking in transplantation in infants and children. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 32, 1203–1232.

17.

Lusthaus

E. W.

(1985). Involuntary euthanasia and current attempts to define persons with mental retardation as less than human. Mental Retardation, 23, 148–154.

18.

Moskop

J. C.

(1987). Organ transplantation in children: Ethical issues. Journal of Pediatrics, 110, 175–180.

19.

National Institute of Handicapped Research. (1985). Summary of data on handicapped children and youth (Department of Education Publication No. ED 395). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

20.

Nelson

J. R.

(1984). Human life: A biblical perspective for bioethics. Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

21.

President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research. (1981). Guidelines for the determination of death. Journal of the American Medical Association, 246, 2184–2186.

22.

Robinson-Haynes

(1987, July 28). Parents of dying babies can't help others. Sacramento Bee, pp. A1, A8.

23.

Task Force on Brain Death in Children. (1987). Guidelines for the determination of brain death in children. Pediatrics, 80, 298–300.

24.

The Hastings Center. (1985). Ethical, legal and policy issues pertaining to solid organ procurement. Hastings, NY: Author.

25.

United States Department of Health and Human Services. (1985, April 15). Child abuse and neglect prevention and treatment program: Final rules. 45 CFR, Part 1340. Federal Register, 50(72), 14878–14901.

26.

Veatch

R. M.

(1986). The foundations of justice: Why the retarded and the rest of us have claims to equality. New York: Oxford University Press.

27.

Weir

R. F.

(1984). Selective nontreatment of handicapped newborns: Moral dilemmas in neonatal medicine. New York: Oxford University Press.

Beyond Baby Doe: Does Infant Transplantation Justify Euthanasia?

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References