Bodies, organs and saving lives: Old respects and new dilemmas

Abstract

Attitudes to death are non-rational and culturally determined. This is relevant to concerns about shortages of organs for transplantation. Consent is not possible from a dead donor and the term 'resumed consent' offends against the principle of respect for autonomy that underpins consent. Consent is the fundamental principle of the Human Tissue Act 2004 in considering use of organs after death. These legal and ethical concerns create difficulties to be explored in a subsequent paper. © Royal College of Physicians, 2009. All rights reserved.