Penn Bioethics Seminar Series (PBS): "Normothermic Regional Perfusion and the Dead Donor Rule. Can NRP Proponents Avoid Controversy?" led by Jake Greenblum, PhD and Tim Aylsworth, PhD

Normothermic Regional Perfusion and the Dead Donor Rule. Can NRP Proponents Avoid Controversy? 
 

Jake Greenblum, PhD

Clinical Ethicist, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Tim Aylsworth, PhD

Associate Professor of Philosophy, Florida International University

In this presentation, we review what normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) is and the main debate around it concerning the ethical standard known as the dead donor rule (DDR), with opponents arguing that NRP violates the DDR, and many proponents denying this. As we highlight, both proponents and opponents alike assume the legitimacy of the DDR, an assumption we label “traditional.” We maintain that to best respond to opponents in this debate, traditional proponents must make use of the distinction between legal and biological death. However, unfortunately for proponents, making this distinction also calls into question the soundness of the DDR itself, something most proponents wish to avoid.

Lunch provided. Streaming available via Zoom.