"Do you think it is right to sideline the respect for a brain-dead person in order to prolong the lives of others?"

"It all buoys down to perception." How true is this? While some argue that loved ones will only believe and accept that the patient is truly dead when the heart ceases, and thus it is immoral to take away the organs of a brain-dead patient, we are only considering the perspective of the patient's family. What about that of another who might be really dead in the next second if no transplant is proffered to him? If the former were to be in the shoes of the latter, perhaps only then will they see the "perspective" of others.

In my opinion, being sentimental and clinging on to a brain-dead loved one by demanding life-sustaining machinery to stay intact with him may not necessarily be a way of showing your affection for him. Instead, it could be depriving another of an opportunity to be in this world. Some may contend that the ties around the patient should merit true consideration, but can the family really hold on to their loved one at the expense of another's life without any guilt humanly? I doubt so. Perhaps the decision should lie with the patient himself, before his condition deteriorates. It will be a more rational choice then. At the end of the day, the organs belong to him and thus should be taken charge of by him. Whether to donate will be a test of his generosity and compassion towards others, especially when it for a life-to-life exchange.

In the case where the patient cannot decide for himself in time, the family's decision will ultimately be the definitive one. It would be unmerited to ask for the family's immediate approval to donate the organs of their loved one, I do not differ. However, they should realize that a short-span pain that they go through upon deciding would in due course bail out another from the gates of Hell. At that time, they will be reassured to appreciate that the organs of their loved one are doing awe in sustaining the lives of others.

However, I do consent with the author that these organs should not be given away anonymously, not for the recipient to live with debts of gratitude for the donor, but for the donor's life to be recognized and appreciated. This appreciation for what others have done and given to you is the intrinsic value of human ties.

All in all, by donating the organs of a brain-dead person in order to prolong the lives of others should not be seen as sidelining the respect for the former. Instead it is evincing the worthiness and eminence of the donor's life, which will be unremitting in the hale and hearty body of another.