Is There a Need for Xenotransplantation?
Q: Is there a need for xenotransplantation i.e. whether the current and future needs for organ transplants can be met by other means? Currently much human potential transplant material is lost to use in two principal ways. First, not every member of the population that considers human organ-doning acceptable carries a doner card. Second, the wishes of the next of kin can supersede those of the recently deceased, preventing organ-doning in circumstances where there is ambiguity in determining exactly what the organ donor was permitting. It is possible to counteract the above by a) moving from the current “opt in” organ donation scheme to an “opt out” one, and b) raising the status of the deceaseds wishes over those of his or her next of kin. The above strategies, though controversial in their own right, might well be sufficient to negate much of the current demands. Given this, the question arises as to whether or not to pursue the idea of minimizing xenotransplantation through the use
