organ donation

organ donation, the act of giving one or more organs (or parts thereof), without compensation, for transplantation into someone else. Organ donation is a very personal yet complex decision, intertwined with medical, legal, religious, cultural, and ethical issues. Today organ donation, strictly defined, encompasses the donation and transplantation of the heart, intestines, kidneys, liver, lungs, and pancreas (e.g., the islets of Langerhans). Donated organs come either from a deceased donor or from a still-living donor....