Ethical Challenges of 3D-printed Organs: Allocation Fairness and Risks in Long-term Use

No matter what era people are, they are pursuing immortality. Although the life expectancy of human beings is getting longer, the development and exploration of the medical field are very limited. Nowadays, with the rapid development of 3D-printed technology, 3D-printed organs have been taken into practice from the theory. This not only shows the advances in medicine and technology, but also provides new hopes for patients with terrible organ failure. However, the application of the technology has raised a double ethical dilemma: on one hand, the limited amounts of printed organs cannot be distributed evenly, which face controversies over the allocation criteria of severity of illness and ability of payment; On the other hand, there are several legal and technical gaps in the safety and responsibility in the long-time use of the printed organs. The article combines technical principles and policy cases from home and abroad to analyse the challenges and propose some systematic solutions, aiming to provide the reference to balance technological innovation and social ethics.