TEST REVIEW

Religion IV – Organ Donation & End of Life issues

Note: these questions are not necessarily questions that you’ll encounter on the test. They will, however, give

you a general sense of the types of questions I may ask and the material that the test will cover. The following questions are deliberately broad to (hopefully) get you

as a class to explore as many aspects of the material as possible in our review today.

BIOETHICS

What are some stipulations of Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act? Must be 18 years old Must be a resident of OR Must be autonomous Must be terminally ill (6 months or less to

live)

BIOETHICS

What is a persistent or permanent vegetative state? Persistent: at least 1 month Permanent: 3 months or more

BIOETHICS

What is the difference between physician assisted suicide and removing/refusing treatment for a severe medical condition? Note difference between intention and result

The intention here is different (what I want to do), even though the result is the same (death).

BIOETHICS

True or False: According to Catholic/Christian

ethicists, medical professionals and caretakers are obliged to use any and all means to preserve someone’s life.

BIOETHICS

What is the difference between ordinary and extraordinary treatment? Can you think of any examples? Why

would they be qualified as “ordinary” or “extraordinary”?

Ordinary: always obliged to provide Extraordinary: not obliged to provide

(necessarily) Not effective Excessively burdensome

BIOETHICS

Why is defining the exact moment of death difficult?

What does Pope St. John Paul II say about the Church’s authority in determining this?

Why is this relevant to organ donation? Ambiguity surrounding various observable

factors associated with death Doctors have no right to take vital organs

from someone who has not yet died

BIOETHICS

What is the difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide? Euthanasia: “good death” or “dying well”

or “mercy killing” Taking the life of someone who is suffering

Assisted suicide: Providing someone with the means to take

his/her own life

BIOETHICS

What are at least 2 ethical issues associated with organ donation?

BIOETHICS

What are two arguments in favor of legalized physician assisted suicide?

What are two arguments against the legalization of physician assisted suicide?

BIOETHICS

Name at least two factors which would prevent someone from being an organ donor: HIV positive Alcoholism Hepatitis Old age

BIOETHICS

How has the process of organ donation changed in the past several decades? Has it improved or not? 15% success rate initially Over 80% success rate now

BIOETHICS

What was Pope St. John Paul II’s opinion on organ donation? Speaks of it as an “act of charity” But has some concerns about it,

nonetheless (ex: cloning for organ donation; using embryos/embryonic stem cells to grow/heal organs; determining the point of death)

BIOETHICS

What does it mean to have a “market” for organs? Do you think this would be a good thing or a bad thing?