PORTAL FOR

ORGAN DONATION

AFTER EXECUTION

This website attempts to collect views on the Internet—pro and con—

concerning the proposal to accept organs donated by prisoners who have been executed.

The items in each section are arranged by quality, beginning with the best.

WEBSITES, ESSAYS, & ARTICLES FAVORING THE PROPOSAL

WEBSITE BY CHRISTIAN LONGO: GAVE
http://www.gavelife.org/GAVE.html
Death-row inmate Christian Longo explains his efforts to donate his organs
both before death (one kidney) and after his execution (the rest of his organs).
GAVE stands for Gifts of Anatomical Value from Everyone.
A companion Facebook Group has also been created:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/GAVE/198736293485596
This allows members to express their opinions about organ donation after execution.


Death Row Organ Donation
http://bioethics.iupui.edu/body.cfm?id=79
This is probably the most comprehensive collection of resources and opinion
concerning the donation of organs by prisoners,
either living prisoners (who might receive reduced punishment)
or executed prisoners.
It was created and is being updated by Eric Meslin,
Director of the Indiana University Center for Bioethics.
In March 2010 there were about 80 items listed.


Voluntary Execution:
Better than the Death Penalty?
http://www.tc.umn.edu/%7Eparkx032/CY-VX.html
An essay exploring a possible new option to replace capital punishment.


Voluntary Execution Followed by Organ Donation
http://www.tc.umn.edu/%7Eparkx032/CY-VEXOD.html
This essay suggests some of the practical steps
that would smooth the process of execution
and the subsequent harvesting of organs.


Can a Prisoner Ever Make a Free Choice?
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/FREE-PRI.html
This essay presents several safeguards,
which will help to separate prisoners
who are making free choices for voluntary execution
from prisoners whose decision-making capacity might be questioned.


Brain-Death as a Method of Voluntary Execution
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/BRAIN-D.html
If the voluntary execution results in brain-death,
the donor's organs might be in the best possible shape for donation.


Brain-Death Protocol for Voluntary Execution followed by Organ Donation
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/BDP-VX.html
Something similar to these procedures will have to be adopted
so that transplant-teams will be able to harvest organs from the executed.


Death Row Must Not Become an Organ Bank:
How to Avoid the Mayan Protocol
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/CY-MAYA.html


OPEN LETTER TO THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS
OF A CONDEMNED PRISONER
WILLING TO DONATE ORGANS AFTER EXECUTION
http://www.tc.umn.edu/%7Eparkx032/OR-D-ROW.html

YOUR ORGANS CAN SAVE LIVES
an open letter to death row
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/INVIT.html


DEATH ROW DONORS
This is a beginning list of all condemned prisoners 
willing to donate their organs after execution
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/DONORS.html


Killer's Quest: Allow Organ Donation after Execution
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42667886/ns/health-health_care/
A journalist presents the case of Christian Longo,
a prisoner on Oregon's death row,
who wants to donate all of his organs after his execution.
She explores the pros and cons of changing the prevailing rules
against donations from condemned prisoners.


Books on Organ Donation after Execution
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/B-ORGAN.html


MAKING EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULES:
AN OPEN LETTER TO WARDENS, GOVERNORS, & ORGAN-PROCUREMENT DOCTORS:
SHOULD PRISONERS BE PERMITTED TO DONATE THEIR ORGANS AFTER EXECUTION?
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/EXCEPT.html
This letter addresses the major reasons
preventing donations from the executed.


ORGANS FROM THE EXECUTED
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/ORGAN-JP.html
This is the beginning of a proposed three-part article,
with links to the other parts---from a person in need of a heart
and a (projected) part from a prisoner willing to donate organs.


"Let's Harvest the Organs of Death Row Inmates" by Graeme Wood
http://www.good.is/post/lets-harvest-the-organs-of-death-row-inmates-777
An animated video based on this article appears on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONsEpfeZ3nI


The Dead-Donor Rule:
How Dead Do You Have to Be?
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/CY-DEADD.html
This essay explores organ-donation from:
(1) the brain-dead, (2) the permanently unconscious,
(3) patients in PVS, & (4) Alzheimer's victims.


Harvesting organs from death row donors
http://www.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20090113-114301.html
This straight-forward news story
describes how hanged prisoners donate their organs in Singapore.


Chance for capital felons to pay back
http://www.hku.hk/bioeth/News/Mixed/090115_Chance_for_capital_felons_to_pay_back.pdf
This might be one of the first articles to suggest achieving brain death
as a means of execution that would preserve good organs for transplant.


Organ harvesting in the People's Republic of China
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_harvesting_in_the_People's_Republic_of_China
This is a comprehensive source of information, reports, & comments
about the practice of harvest organs from executed prisoners in China.


Executed prisoners are main source of Chinese organ donations
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/26/china-organ-donation-prisoners
A journalist explores what is known about harvesting organs
from Chinese prisoners after they are executed.
Many legal and ethical questions are raised.

WEBSITES, ESSAYS, & ARTICLES CRITICAL OF THE PROPOSAL

Organs from Inmates?  That Idea Should Be DOA
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42669327/ns/today-today_health/
A medical ethicist argues against accepting organs from executed prisoners.


OPTN/UNOS Ethics Committee:
Ethics of Organ Donation from Condemned Prisoners
http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/resources/bioethics.asp?index=7
The organization responsible for allocating donated organs
raises several ethical concerns that stand in the way of organ donation by executed inmates.


This webmaster's deep thanks to Derek Rowley for collecting many references that led to this website.
created 2-28-2010; revised 3-3-2010; 3-5-2010; 4-9-2010; 4-16-2010; 4-30-2010; 8-6-2010; 10-24-2010;
2-4-2011; 4-8-2011; 4-23-2011; 5-4-2011


A Facebook Page has been established:
PRISONER ORGAN DONATION

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The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by the University of Minnesota.