Abortion Fetuses Could be Used for Adult Organ Donation

I don’t like getting into abortion debates, as most of the talking points are subjective; for example,  when does life actually begin? I have my own opinion on that question, and maybe my answer  is why this article on harvesting and farming abortion fetuses for organ transplant perturbed me so much.  

If you are one that believes a fetus is not a life until it is born, then I doubt you will see the atrocity that I see.  I will save you some time…just skip to the next article on global warming.

Professor Richard Gardner of Oxford University is a renowned expert on human reproduction. He is also an advisor to Britain’s Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority. Gardner brought up the idea of transplanting organs from aborted fetuses into needy adults, a prospect that raises the stakes in debates about paid organ donation and abortion.

Research on mice has given cause to believe that fetal-to-adult organ transplantation is plausible. For example, research has shown that a transplanted mouse fetal kidney develops quickly inside an adult mouse. 

Advocates for such research argue that if aborted fetus organs do prove to be a useful source, it would mean that people would no longer die because of a shortage of organs for donation. Instead of the organ donor having to wait until someone dies with viable organs, fetal organs would essentially have an unlimited supply…since there are far more legal abortions per year than people on organ waiting lists. . Then, there is the idea that pregnant women struggling to find some “good” in abortion might find some solace in knowing her abortion resulted in another persons “good” via organ donation. 

One of the major justifications against legal marketed organ trade for money is the exploitation of the organ donor. However, I wonder if  society would see the potential exploitation of fetus when they are aborted simply because the mom wants the cash from their organs?

Another little discussed fact is that the woman would have to carry the fetus until the organs are actually viable, which would also mean the fetus could possibly survive outside the womb.

I concede that fetal organ donation would “fix” the disproportion between those in need of an organ and viable organs available, but at what cost? Are we willing to increase the number of abortions by adding a medical justification and possibly a means of economic incentive to have an abortion? That is a moral, ethical, social, and medical question we all must answer for ourselves. For me, the answer is unequivocally no.