Podcast: Animals as organ donors? So what?

Suppose we use animals as organ donors. Does this save more lives? And should we really kill animals for this? A thought experiment.

Birthe Sonnichsen
ARD Capital Studio

Thousands of people are waiting for a donor organ right now. Some in vain – they die because there are not enough donor organs. For decades, research has been carried out into whether pig hearts, for example, would be a good substitute.

Animals as a kind of “spare parts store” for mankind? How does something like this even work? Would that really end the shortage of donor organs? And what ethical consequences would that have?

The two correspondents answer these questions Vera Wolffight and Birthe Sonnichsen from the ARD capital studio in Berlin and search in the future podcast of daily News together with experts for answers.

Thought experiments in the tagesschau podcast

“Let’s assume” is the award-winning* future podcast of the daily News. Every other week, a team of six correspondents thinks from the ARD Capital Studio in Berlin takes a current political idea into the future and runs a thought experiment through the possible consequences: Suppose Germany were to stop exporting weapons – what would the political consequences be? Or suppose cash were abolished – what impact would that have on our everyday lives and the economy?

Numerous experts help to find answers to these questions, positive examples from other countries show what is already possible elsewhere and thus provide new impetus in political debates.

You can listen to the audio podcast “Let’s assume” at any time at home or on the go on your smartphone. Every Thursday a new episode appears here on our website in which tagesschau appin the ARD audio library and on numerous other podcast platforms.

*Winner of the “Prix Europa” 2020 in the category “Digital Audio Project”