Cadaveric donation and the family

Abstract

"In this paper, the authors considered ambiguous family’s role in cadaveric organ transplantation from the Japan’s experience. In Japan, the great majority of transplantation has been composed of living donation, and cadaveric organ donation remains stagnant. Historically, Japan’s transplant laws have heavily emphasized the importance of family’s decisions in cadaveric transplantation, and therefore most organ donation has developed within enclosed relationship rather than open gift relationship. This situation starkly contrasts with the countries such as the U.S. and some European countries, where cadaveric organ donation accounts for a large share of total transplantation and most organs are distributed by an officially authorized intermediary agent. The 2009 revision of the Organ Transplant Act further enhanced this ambiguity, by introducing ‘directed donation’, and by widening the role of family decision. The affect of the family’s expanded role on organ donation warrants further study"