Friday, March 23, 2018

Organ donation in Singapore: mandated choice?

Here's a commentary on deceased organ donation controversies in Singapore:

Mandated Consent – Not a Viable Solution for Organ Transplant in Singapore
Jing Jih Chin, Annals Academy of Medicine, February 2018, Vol. 47 No. 2, 71-73.

The final paragraph:
"While there is no denying the ethical value of a properly administered mandated consent policy, the practical solution for Singapore’s low rate of cadaveric organ transplant in the immediate and near future is unlikely to be found in such a system. What is critical to sustaining organ transplantation as a collective societal institution is to step up the efforts to change mindsets through sharing of knowledge and promotion of altruism and social compact between citizens. Ultimately, we need to negotiate an appropriate and sustainable balance between an individual’s right of autonomy and his obligation towards communal interests."

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