Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Gynakologische Praxis, cilt.52, sa.3, ss.375-387, 2024 (Scopus)
Donor organs are scarce, especially for young children. Against this background, organ harvesting for small children comes with a number of ethical challenges. Using anencephalic children as organ donors has been discussed controversely. Anencephaly occurs in about one out of 1.000 conceptions. The circulation of affected fetuses usually ceases shortly after birth. While the brain stem is usually intact, anencephalics lack cerebral cortex and therefore, conscience. A diagnosis of classical brain death, currently the prerequisite to be considered eligible for organ donation, cannot be assigned in anencephalics. Some have therefore proposed introducing the concept of cortical death as the relevant criterion for organ procurement in these patients. This essay highlights the ethical challenges of different brain death criteria in the context of anencephalic organ donation and the shortage of transplantable pediatric organs. Should anencephalics a priori be considered dead? What arguments speak for and against the concept of higher cortical death? How do parents of anencephalics feel about donating their children‘s organs? In conclusion, anencephalic organ donation could potentially help alleviate the current organ shortage for young children requiring transplantation. However, at the same time it poses complex ethical issues that should be considered.