ABSTRACT
Organ transplantation is undoubtedly one of the triumphs of modern medicine. This chapter focuses on the various sources from which organs may be obtained, including live donors and deceased human donors, and the ethical and legal issues raised in each case. It considers the legal problem of what status to accord to extracted body parts, and examines the possible measures of law reform that aim to increase the number of organs available for transplantation. As well as living and deceased human donors, there are a number of other possible sources of supply of organs and tissue that may offer themselves. The Department of Health considers that further development of xenotransplantation should take place in line with international recommendations and guidance. The phenomenon of organ and tissue transplantation, and the practice of removing tissue for medical purposes including donation, give rise to interesting questions as to the status of such material.
