Question 1: Think about the current system of organ donation in the United States and Great Britain. Currently, it is prohibited to compensate donors for providing organs for transplant. Donors may only receive money to cover actual incurred medical expenses. This is not true in other parts of the world. The systems range from organized and regulated, to complete chaos and immoral behavior to obtain organs for transplant.

Even though it may seem like a foreign concept to us and unethical, what are the disadvantages of having a system that compensates donors under strict government regulations? What are the advantages? Could it solve the shortage issues currently experienced by patients? Would families of recently deceased loved ones be more willing to provide viable organs for donations? It may sound macabre, but try to think of it as providing a valuable resource to thousands of people in need, versus a strictly moral issue. You will need to perform some research to gain perspectives on foreign approaches to organ donation.

Question 2: Conduct an Internet search of whistleblowing cases in the healthcare field. Choose one of these cases and summarize the particulars of the case. Do you feel that the person who blew the whistle was justified in doing so? Why, or why not? Also, do you agree with the outcome of the case? Why, or why not?

Text used: Fremgen, B. F. (2012). Medical law and ethics (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.