Brynli Whittaker

Jackie Burr, Instructor

English 2010

7 May 2019

Notebook #8

In Freeman, M. A., and A. G. Wightman’s article from EBSCO titled “Did Parents Have

it Right All Along? Parents, Risk, and Living Kidney Donation: Revisiting the Arguments For

and Against Parental Living Donation of Kidneys,” the concern for truth behind living kidney

donations is discussed. It is made clear that the best way to go about a living kidney donation is

to have someone alive and young so they have less of a chance for any sort of diseases. In other

cases, minimal risks are a possibility, but there is still a higher chance. In most situations though,

doctors will look for someone young and healthy for more successful results of transplantation.

Because the parents of a child in need are an easy default for a potential donor, the concern about

a non-autonomous donation occurring suddenly becomes a topic. Freeman and Wightman

believe that in some situations there may be pressure or wrong reasoning behind the action of

donation. This pressure could come from the transplantation surgeon telling them over and over

that donation is the best option for their child, which would be hard to say no to, regardless of the

risks on themselves. When this is the case, the donor may start to feel like saying yes was their

only option and they will very likely end up making a very rash decision. “More courage may be

required to resist organ donation than to accept it.” In today’s world where self-sacrifice is

looked highly upon and almost always expected, negative results may start becoming a problem

for more and more people.

 Freeman and Wightman know what they are talking about, it would be nearly impossible

to turn down donating a kidney to your own child. However, if the risks are drastically

outweighing the benefits, it would seem obscure for the doctor to go through with the

transplantation. From the research I have completed in the last three months, I have learned that

the doctors number one priority is always going to be the healthy, living individual. Unless the

parent absolutely insists on knowingly threatening their own life, I think the doctor would ensure

to make the best decision. In the end, every choice that we make is entirely up to us. There will

be influence and pressure but it is not something we do not have the ability to resist in certain

situations. As far as the parents I know, there isn’t a single one who wouldn’t put their child

before themselves anyway and that’s their decision. I believe that as long as the donor and the

recipient are both aware of the risks going into the transplantation, it is then up to them to make

the final decision without any concern from outside sources. Negative influence is never a good

thing, but often times love will outweigh that. In the end, the recipient should always be

understanding to receive no as an answer when the donor isn’t willing to deal with the risks

placed on their currently healthy life.