Balancing Risk and Autonomy: Young Adults Donors

Assessing people in adolescence and early adulthood who wish to become living organ donors presents unique challenges. One key question is whether a young individual can understand and evaluate the potential consequences of organ donation. It is also essential to determine whether their decision is voluntary, and to assess the emotional and psychological risks involved.¹

This presentation explores the ethical, clinical, and legal perspectives surrounding living donation in young adult donors.

Dr Aisling Courtney begins by establishing a shared understanding of the types of living donation and associated terminology. Dr Bonnie Venter then examines the debate surrounding age limits in donation with reference to the legal and ethical frameworks currently in place. Dr Hannah Maple presents research on age and living donation, drawing parallels between altruistic and directed donation in younger people.

The video concludes with a discussion among the three speakers on further considerations regarding age limitations in organ donation.

References

1. M. Campbell, L.Wright, R.A Greenberg and D. Grant. How Young Is Too Young to Be a Living Donor. American Journal of Transplantation 2013; 13: 1643–1649Wiley Periodicals. doi: 10.1111/ajt.12307

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• Dr Aisling Courtney

  Consultant Nephrologist

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  Dr Aisling Courtney

  Consultant Nephrologist Belfast City Hospital

  Role and Location
  Dr Aisling Courtney was appointed as a consultant in the Belfast City Hospital in 2009. In addition to her clinical work, Aisling is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Queen’s University and has a formal role in postgraduate medical education.

  Education
  She was an undergraduate at Queen’s University in Belfast and did most of her postgraduate training in Northern Ireland. Aisling then worked for a period as a consultant in Dublin and London before returning “home.”

  Research
  Aisling’s particular interest is in renal transplantation. She has a number of publications in this area, and was the national Chair of the Strategy Implementation Group for the UK Living Donor Kidney Transplant Strategy 2020.

  In 2019, on behalf of the Belfast Transplant Team, she accepted the inaugural UK Award for Excellence in Transplantation from the British Transplantation Society. Aisling continues to serve nationally in a number of working groups and advisory committees.

  Memberships
  Aisling is a member of the working group for ELPAT Living Organ Donation.

• Dr Bonnie Venter

  Lecturer

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  Dr Bonnie Venter

  Lecturer University of Bristol Law School

  Role and Location
  Lecturer in Law, University of Bristol Law School.

  Research
  Her research focuses on the relationship between the law and organ donation and transplantation. She is particularly interested in how the various role players (donors, recipients, and healthcare professionals) experience the legal realities of donation and transplantation.

  Other interests include
  –  The role of altruism in organ/tissue donation, surrogacy, and research participation
  –  Xenotransplantation
  –  Bioprinted organs 

  Memberships
  Bonnie is a member of the working group for ELPAT Living Organ Donation and the Ethics and Law Committee for the UK Kidney Association.

• Dr Hannah Maple

  Consultant Transplant and Dialysis Access Surgeon

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  Dr Hannah Maple

  Consultant Transplant and Dialysis Access Surgeon Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

  Role and Location
  Hannah Maple has been a consultant at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust since 2022. She was the first clinical lecturer in transplant surgery in London. She worked on a National Institute for Health and Care Research-funded study looking at barriers and outcomes in unspecified (altruistic) kidney donation.

  Education
  – Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 2019
  – PhD in transplantation, University of London, 2015
  – Medicine and surgery (MBBS), GKT School of Medical Education, King’s College London, 2007
  – BSc in clinical healthcare ethics and law, King’s College London, 2004

  Research
  – Psychosocial aspects of living donation and transplantation
  – Altruistic kidney donation
  – Prehabilitation and optimising patients before surgery
  – Frailty in transplantation

  She was the Principal Investigator for the BOUnD study – the world’s biggest study on outcomes after unspecified kidney donation.

  Memberships
  She is the past-chair of the ethical, legal, and psychosocial aspects of transplantation (ELPAT) section of the European Society of Organ Transplantation.