Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 209 : Holding the Line on Brain Death

Even to be “slightly alive” is still to be alive. If the language of the UDDA ends up being changed to allow for a declaration of brain death even with continued hypothalamic functioning, individuals who are not-quite-dead will be treated as if they were already dead.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationFebruary 28, 2023Brain Death, Death and Dying, End-of-Life Issues, Organ Donation

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 198 : The Ethics of Pig to Human Organ Transplants

Remarkable advancements have been made in "neutering" pig organs so they no longer provoke a powerful immune response in humans, and striking progress has been made in extending survival times for xenografts…

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationDecember 30, 2021Animal-Human Hybrids and Chimeras, Organ Donation, Genetics and Genome Editing

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 167: The Corpse Raiders

When it comes to extracting cells or organs from the corpse of a deceased child at an abortion clinic, however, these ethical requirements for consent cannot legitimately be satisfied.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationMay 30, 2019Abortion, Fetal Tissue Harvesting, Informed Consent, Organ Donation

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 158: Can We Pay Others to Donate a Kidney

At the end of the day, we want people to become organ donors, not organ vendors.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationAugust 30, 2018Law and Ethics, Organ Donation

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 144: Can I Donate My Body to Science?

Although there are not any fundamental moral objections to donating our bodies to science, certain details of how the donation is carried out are important.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationJune 30, 2017Banking of Sperm and Eggs, Death and Dying, Respect for the Remains of the Dead, Research Ethics, End-of-Life Issues, Organ Donation, Research

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 059: Procuring Organs “Over My Dead Body?”

State-facilitated salvaging of organs in the absence of explicit consent undercuts the essential character of organ donations as a gift.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationMay 30, 2010Informed Consent, Law and Ethics, Organ Donation

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 022: Recapturing the Soul of Bioethics

…women (and men) should never be paid for their eggs (or sperm), as we insist they not be paid for organ donations. This is done to prevent the human body from becoming “commodified” by powerful economic and market forces, and to stave off the prospect of trafficking in human parts.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationApril 30, 2007In Vitro Fertilization, Law and Ethics, Banking of Sperm and Eggs, Cloning, Embryos, Stem Cell Research, Organ Donation

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 005: Brain Dead Means Dead

...whenever somebody is in fact brain dead, they are dead, and we do not have an obligation to “keep them going.” All machines can be turned off at any time after the declaration of brain death, because brain-dead individuals are, in fact, corpses, not patients. This is the harsh reality.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationNovember 30, 2005Brain Death, Persistent Vegetative State (PVS), Organ Donation

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