Ethical Issues in the Use of Anencephalic Infants as Organ Donors

This article focuses on ethical issues raised by recent proposals to use anencephalic infants as organ donors. The medical facts regarding anencephaly are briefly reviewed and current legal, and societal norms regarding organ donors are then discussed. Recent attempts to avoid modifying these standards by supporting the infants until they become brain dead (Loma Linda) have demonstrated that their brain stems do not cease functioning if they are given life support. Proposals to utilize these infants as organ donors therefore involve modifying either the dead donor rule or the whole-brain-based definition of brain death. The rationales for these various proposals and their potential flaws are discussed. The authors conclude that the current standards should remain the cornerstone of public policy and that attempts to use these infants as potential organ donors should be discontinued.