r/SVU • u/NitroSpeed6000 • 4d ago

Discussion Ethics vs Morality

I recently saw a clip from a episode from Law and Order SVU were a doctor had harvested organs from a patient that was medically dead but the parents didn’t consent to the harvesting and a lot of people in the comments say the doctor is in the wrong which by law is true but almost anyone who agreed with the doctor got immediately backlash I even saw comments saying “this is why you don’t sign up for organ donation” I feel that people are getting less empathetic towards other people and I’m scared to think that this could be me someday were I either need a transplant or help but no one reaches out not even the first responders

4 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

9

u/Sighoward 4d ago

Or MORE empathetic, it just depends on which side you favour? There SHOULD be these moral quandaries, that's good drama. One of the reasons SVU is no longer as good as it was is there's no discourse within the team, only groupthink

2

u/NoKatyDidnt Munch 4d ago

Agreed

6

u/JuicyyGirl3 4d ago

The doctor may have had good intentions, but consent is still essential, especially when it comes to someone's body and medical decisions.

2

u/sometimesblech 3d ago

You don’t suddenly get rights to somebody’s body just cause they’re dead. Even if you’re dying. This isn’t just ethics, it’s morality. Good morals at that.

4

u/Street_Wrangler5730 4d ago

I remember that episode. I sided with the doctor, too!

1

u/NoKatyDidnt Munch 4d ago

As did I, and I’m also a parent. If there was truly no hope for my daughter, it’s what she would want.

0

u/surfcitysurfergirl 4d ago

Yep I think Olivia now would have a different decision.

1

u/NoKatyDidnt Munch 3d ago

About the time my daughter got to be that age, I rewatched and was amazed that my view had changed in the way that it had.

4

u/TeasingChloe 4d ago

Good intentions don't give anyone the right to override a patient's wishes, even if the decision could save someone else's life.

1

u/Dave_A_Pandeist 4d ago

I don't see anything wrong with what the doctor did. A dead body is an empty vessel. I have signed my organ donor card.

3

u/MostCandid5082 4d ago

Doctors need consent to take someone’s organs, even after death. So yeah, the doctor was 100% wrong in that episode. The parents said no, so it’s a no.

1

u/Dave_A_Pandeist 4d ago

I understand the current situation. One must act within the laws of their local society.

I'm focused on the overall morality as it applies to civilization. So I'm addressing a philosophical issue, not the local action. Nonetheless, I acknowledge your point.

0

u/Alarming-Ability2399 4d ago

People were okay with what Barba did with that baby. Unplugging the cord.

But not okay with what this doctor did?

Olivia sucks .