OF COMMUNITY, ORGANS AND OBLIGATIONS - ROUTINE SALVAGE WITH A TWIST

This paper makes the assumption that organ transplantation is, under s ome conditions at least, a proper use of communal medical resources. P roceeding from this assumption, the author: (1) sketches the history o f the problem; (2) briefly examines the prevalent models of communal s tructure and offers an alternate version; (3) discusses notions of jus tice and obligation derived from these different models; (4) applies t hese to the practice of harvesting organs for transplantation; and the n (5) offers a different process for harvesting organs from the newly dead. If community is viewed as united by a set of shred goals and com mon values among which the value of community itself is important, the n certain reciprocal obligations among members obtain. I suggest that routine salvage of organs from the newly dead be instituted but that i t be routine salvage ''with a twist'': rather early in life all member s of the community are given the opportunity to refuse but their refus al carries the reciprocal condition that they cannot later become the recipients of that which they refuse to others.