The Ethical Conundrum of Xenotransplantation

Abstract Book of the 12th International Conference on Social Sciences, Humanities and Education

Year: 2026

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The Ethical Conundrum of Xenotransplantation

Alex Kim

ABSTRACT:

Over 850 million people in the world have kidney problems and it is predicted to become one of the top causes of death. However, there is a shortage of donated kidney organs. This tension has led to countless individuals dying yearly. The rising number of people that need organs and the shortage of organ donation has led to people considering xenotransplantation –the transfer of animal organs or cells into humans. Pigs are the main focus in xenotransplantation due to their fast reproduction, ease of genetic modification, and the similarity of their organs to human organs. Yet, even after decades of research, xenotransplantation still has not resulted in long term survival for humans, raising ethical concerns about this procedure. This paper draws on prior research on xenotransplantation to discuss its history, the challenges and ethical dilemmas of the procedure, and what would need to be done for xenotransplantation to become more acceptable. We argue that while it could be a solution to the shortage in organs, it must be approached carefully, with good ethical use.

Keywords: Animal Rights; Bioethics; Organ Donors; Human Rights; Transplantation