Organ Donation (Health and Medical Issues Today)

Offering a comprehensive yet accessible look at organ donation and transplantation, this book examines the scientific, medical, social, legal, and ethical issues surrounding it. Readers will discover how new technologies and medical advances are shaping the future of organ donation. Donated organs and tissues have improved or saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals, but these life-changing procedures also raise many logistical and ethical questions. How can organs be effectively allocated to those in need? Should individuals be allowed to purchase organs from living donors? What role does religion and culture play in someone's decision to donate or accept an organ? Will new technologies like bioprinting change the future of organ donation? This book answers all these questions and more.