Annotated Bibliography

Thesis

Although the “presumed consent” policy presents a Utilitarianism benefit and can
potentially address shortages in organ supply and save more lives, it raises thorny and sensitive
ethical issues regarding individuals’ rights to make informed decisions and autonomy,
necessitating a mindful assessment of its continued use and alternatives.

Annotated Bibliography

Costa-Font, J., Rudisill, C., & Salcher-Konrad, M. (2020). ‘Relative consent’ or ‘Presumed
consent’? Organ donation attitudes and behavior. The European Journal of Health
Economics, 22(1), 5-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-020-01214-8
This study explores the efficacious impact of presumed consent plus family consent on
people’s readiness to donate or give their “own” and their relatives organs, as well as their
effect on “real” organ donation characters and behaviors. It uses data collected between
2022 and 2010 across twenty-eight European nations. The results demonstrate that the
presumed consent policy approach is linked with improved readiness to donate organs.
However, this impact was weakened or lessened ‘immediately’ family arguments about
donating organs were controlled for. These findings confirm that the consent of relatives
vetoes the intent to donate organs while weakening the impact of the control on “actual
donations.” Simply put, presumed consent improves a person’s readiness to donate their
organs and those of their relatives in nations where no consent from family members is
needed. For my study, these outcomes will provide critical insights into the “actual” effect
of presumed consent.

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Morris, J., & Holt, J. (2021). Applying utilitarianism to the presumed consent system for organ
donation to consider the moral pros and cons. British Journal of Nursing, 30(19), 1127-

1131. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2021.30.19.1127
      This study applies utilitarianism, a widely used philosophical concept in ethics, to explore
      the moral benefits and pitfalls of the consent system in organ donation in the UK,
      emphasizing sensitive areas like family refusal and informed consent. Utilitarianism is a
      theoretical perspective (consequentialist) that determines the rightness or wrongness of an
      action based on whether or not it optimizes the needs and preferences of the majority.
      Under utilitarianism, the satisfaction of each individual is measured equally. For my
      study, this article will help to justify the arguments for presumed consent, especially the
      premise that it benefits a majority. As argued by the authors, utilitarianism can never
      override the negative ethical implications of presumed consent, especially the breach of
      autonomy and the free will to choose.
      Muthiah, M. D., Chua, M. S., Griva, K., Low, I., Lim, W. H., Ng, C. H., Hwang, J. Y., Yap, J. C.,
      Iyer, S. G., Bonney, G. K., Anantharaman, V., Huang, D. Q., Tan, E. X., Lee, G., Kow, A.
      W., & Tai, B. C. (2021). A multiethnic Asian perspective of presumed consent for organ
      donation: A population-based perception study. Frontiers in Public Health, 9.
      https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.712584
      This article explores a multiethnic/multicultural perception of presumed consent for
      organ transplantation and donation in Singapore, one of the highly multiethnic and
      diverse Asian societies. The cross-sectional study collected data from 799 participants
      through semi-structured interviews in a public space (housing estate). The results showed
      that 85% of the participants agreed to have their organs donated after death. An additional

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81% were ready to consent to donations by their family members. Multiple demographic
factors – employment status, marital, education, and ethnicity – impacted the willingness
to consent for family members and self-donate. For my research, this study adds a new
perspective on the multiracial views of organ donation in multiracial Asian cultures.
Prabhu, P. K. (2019). Is presumed consent an ethically acceptable way of obtaining organs for
transplant? Journal of the Intensive Care Society, 20(2), 92-97.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1751143718777171
This article broadly examines the morality of presumed consent as a means of harvesting
organs from cadavers. By taking a broader approach, the study examines holistically both
sides of the debate: arguments against and for the presumption of consent when
harvesting organs once a person dies. Loss of informed consent when acquiring organs
and violation/erosion of cultural and religious values and practices are a few reasons cited
against presumed consent. One argument for the presumption of consent is the need to
preserve “informed consent” of the dead people who willingly consented to their organs
being harvested. For my study, these arguments will add a layer of evidence and insights
into the debate on legitimizing or outlawing presumed consent.

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References

Costa-Font, J., Rudisill, C., & Salcher-Konrad, M. (2020). ‘Relative consent’ or ‘Presumed
consent’? Organ donation attitudes and behavior. The European Journal of Health
Economics, 22(1), 5-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-020-01214-8
Morris, J., & Holt, J. (2021). Applying utilitarianism to the presumed consent system for organ
donation to consider the moral pros and cons. British Journal of Nursing, 30(19), 1127-

1131. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2021.30.19.1127
      Muthiah, M. D., Chua, M. S., Griva, K., Low, I., Lim, W. H., Ng, C. H., Hwang, J. Y., Yap, J. C.,
      Iyer, S. G., Bonney, G. K., Anantharaman, V., Huang, D. Q., Tan, E. X., Lee, G., Kow, A.
      W., & Tai, B. C. (2021). A multiethnic Asian perspective of presumed consent for organ
      donation: A population-based perception study. Frontiers in Public Health, 9.
      https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.712584
      Prabhu, P. K. (2019). Is presumed consent an ethically acceptable way of obtaining organs for
      transplant? Journal of the Intensive Care Society, 20(2), 92-97.
      https://doi.org/10.1177/1751143718777171