A donor organ is an organ that is donated for transplantation. The classification of donor organs as paired, divisible, and unpaired is not merely medically descriptive but ethically and substance-ontologically load-bearing — it determines whether a living donation is possible or only a postmortem donation.
The three classes
Paired organ — present twice in the body; removal of one side permits continued life. Examples: kidney, lung. Permits living donation.
Divisible organ — only a part is removed, because the rest regenerates or suffices. Examples: liver lobe (regenerates), part of the pancreas. Permits partial living donation with higher donor risk.
Unpaired organ — present only once; complete removal kills the donor. Examples: heart, whole liver, pancreas. Complete removal only post mortem.
Significance of the classification
John Paul II (2000) formulated the ethical import of this differentiation magisterially: “Vital organs which occur singly in the body can be removed only after death.” The classification thus determines which form of donation is morally permissible:
- Paired organs: living donation according to the principle of totality
- Divisible organs: partial living donation possible
- Unpaired organs: only postmortem donation — with all the tensions surrounding the Dead Donor Rule and the precautionary principle
Ontological classification
Superordinate concept: State of Affairs
Subclasses:
Chapter assignment: Chapter 4: What Is Human Personhood? (German)
Sources: Generated by querying the Personhood ontology.
Further sources:
- John Paul II (2000): Address to the 18th International Congress of the Transplantation Society, Rome, 29 August 2000. https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/2000/jul-sep/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20000829_transplants.html
- Pius XII (1957): Anesthesia: Three Moral Questions. Address to the Italian Society of Anesthesiology, 24 February 1957. Georgetown University Library Repository.
- UNOS: Living Donation Facts. https://unos.org/transplant/living-donation/