The Responsibility Project^®. Exploring what it means to do the right thing

Should Organ-Selling Be Legal

107 Comments

October 27, 2009 by Kathy McManus

News reports that Steve Jobs received a liver transplant in Tennessee included widespread speculation that the Apple CEO had—as The Boston Globe put it— “somehow gamed the organ donation system in order to jump to the head of the waiting list.” 

While no report offered any proof that Jobs had acted improperly, the old question about access prompted a new question about altruism: with too-few organs available for too many patients, is it time to pay organ donors for selling their valuable body parts legally on the open market? 

In the U.S., the sale of transplant organs is illegal, meaning that an organ needed to save a life can only be used if it was donated for free. On the thriving organ black market however, a liver costs $10,000, and a kidney—the most sought-after organ—goes for $30,000. Proponents of organ-selling say that with 80,000 Americans on kidney waiting lists alone, and 13 dying each day, it’s time to stop expecting donors to act solely for altruistic reasons. 

“The surgeon who performed Jobs’s liver transplant, the hepatologist who diagnosed him, the anesthesiologist who managed his pain, the nurse…the pharmacy…even the driver who brought him to the hospital…were paid,” noted a Globe editorial. “Only the organ donor (or the donor’s family, if the liver came from a cadaver) could receive nothing except the satisfaction that comes from performing an act of kindness.” 

“Women Sell Their Eggs, So Why Not a Kidney?” asked the headline of a news story that listed proposed organ donor incentives, including health and life insurance, tax credits, and contributions to the donor’s charity of choice. 

“I’m on the fence, I have to say. I’m really torn about this,” said a bioethics professor who worries that even a legal organ-selling system might increase exploitation since most donors come from desperately poor countries and may be choosing between keeping their kidneys or feeding their families. 

But a Yale psychiatrist who received a donated kidney several years ago, summed up by saying “we don’t think firemen are any less heroic because they are paid to save us.” 

Tell us what you think: Should organ donors become organ sellers? What effect would legal organ selling have on altruism and doing the right thing? Is the satisfaction that comes from doing the right thing ever “payment” enough?

107 Comments

What do you think? Leave a comment

• October 29, 2009 by Sparrow

  Miss MacManus wonders if legalized organ selling will destroy altruism. The thought is nonsensical. Altruism is concerned if and only if we are talking about live kidney and liver donation, as well as some other rarer procedures. These procedures carry serious risk for the donor. I would wager that today's donors are extraordinarily altruistic people who would choose donation over selling any day. Thus, this sort of live organ donation would be unaffected by money. If you are one of these people, consider yourself a hero in my book. If selling organs was legalized, the needing rich would naturally get their transplants sooner. This would still mean less death. As for blood and bone marrow donation - these procedures are hardly painful and you *will* save lives. There is a shortage of donors, so what you give *will* help someone in a *very* significant way. Being a blood and bone marrow donor is only logical. Also, to the religious among us, I pose the question: "Would God want you to save the lives of others if you could, especially if there was hardly any risk at all?" I hope your answer is yes - otherwise, in all honesty, God isn't very nice. Now, you may not like me for my above comment, but consider that I would gladly give you my blood, bone marrow if you needed it. Also, feel free to take what you please from my corpse should you have use. I love you and I want to help you. Even if you still dislike me, I would still donate to you. ;-) Mind you, I would do this all for free. Even a "thank you" would be unnecessary. Dead Donation and Other Logical Choices Obviously, we are talking about live organ donation here, but let me touch on dead organ donation. Altruism is the unselfish concern for the welfare of others. If one is dead, there is no self to be unselfish about - at least no mortal self. One's spirit has no use for the lifeless corpse left behind. Most people are not organ donors - this is why there is a donation shortage - and the few who are donors are regarded to be more altruistic. In reality, dead organ donation is not altruistic - it is *logical*. Now, before I wish that you live long and prosper, consider that some countries are considering a presumed consent program where anyone who dies is assumed to have consented to donating their organs *unless otherwise specified on the person's ID*. It makes sense that once you are no longer using your body, you no longer need your organs - where as others do. So, please visit your local RMV and sign up to become an organ donor. You will save lives. Please donate your blood and bone marrow as well. You will save lives. Live long and prosper. Sparrow

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  • May 15, 2010 by Darrell Johnston

    how do become A donor I am 29 years old good health tip blood is O . I live in Cleveland Ohio I would like to help someone if I can

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    • October 15, 2010 by s bragan

      Why not ask prisoners who are on death row, or life in prison, have the option of donating or not? They usually have no money to purchase food, clothing, and the basic necessities with. The prisoners have to pay very high prices for items they need, and some of these people have no families, or friends to help them at all. I guess they just borrow, or do without.

      Just a thought.

  • May 15, 2010 by Darrell Johnston

    how do become A donor I am 29 years old good health tip blood is O . I live in Cleveland Ohio I would like to help someone if I can

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  • June 14, 2010 by cyndi

    I agree we should not be allowed to sell our organs but i do believe a brain dead donor that has no hospital insurance or money for a funeral should be compensated, by covering those costs. The reason for this, it is cheaper to wave the hospital bill and cover a simple funeral than have the family keep him on life support.

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• November 6, 2009 by LEE PASIC

  i feel that it is great if someone wantrs to donate an organ. also it should be a persons rigth if he chose to sell.

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• November 8, 2009 by alstin gainey

  if i could find the right person that desperately needed my kidney to live and they had no money i would just donate. But i would be more than glad to get compensation for my troubles and pain. 10,000 to 20,000 i would be more than glad to sell my kidney

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  • February 11, 2010 by gregory colello

    will you please respond to me and tell me how to create a accoumt for a possible donation?im in a very difficult situation as like you.please help if i had anything to donate to help i gladly do so.

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    • October 27, 2010 by louella

      how sweet,and wonderfull of a person you are i need a liver transeplant and im not realy sure where to start,what do you no

  • February 11, 2010 by greg colello

    where can i sell my kidney at?does anyone know who i can contact to do so? THANK YOU.

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    • April 26, 2010 by jack

      i would like to talk to you i have a sick friend and maybe we can help my sick friend

    • April 30, 2010 by Michael Franzke

      I read your messenges and maybe you can help me too. where can i sell my kidney at?does anyone know who i can contact to do so? THANK YOU.

    • June 4, 2010 by Shala Pat Hinds

      i to believe if i could save a life by donation then that should be my decision there are so many children in need of kidneys etc.... i am stuck as to find out the information i need to help save the lives of these babies.

• November 9, 2009 by Sakkeer Udeen

  I am 35 year old graduate. I am only one son of my parents. My father was a business man, he lost big money in his business and Bankrupt in 1986, that time I was in high school. Bank officials harrased him very cruely , they took legal steps to my father and post aution sale for our house and he suffered mental agony and died of heart attack on 1990. After my father death my mother faced many obstacles, now she is an arthritis patient, she cant walk with out anyones help. The last 19 years I have been fighting legally with bank, I lost all my hard earned money, now I am big zero and struggling for my daily needs. Now they are going to sale my house by auction for US$ 60,000.00. I don’t know where I can go with my mother? I am asking only one dollar per person, that the cost of your bed coffee or cigar (you can donate as much as you can). My paypal id is forrysakki@rediffmail.com or use the below link By Sakki

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• November 13, 2009 by RICHARD MARTIN

  I AGREE-IF A HEALTHY PERSON IS ABLE TO DONATE A VITAL ORGAN TO SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE THEY SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO AND THEY ALSO SHOULD BE COMPENSATED FOR DOING SO. OUR LAWS REGARDING TO MATTERS SUCH AS THIS ARE SO SHORT SIGHTED AND IGNORANT....

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• November 16, 2009 by Randy J. Himes

  Organ donation has always been a subject of much debate for so many reasons. I myself and my two sons who are now grown are all full body donors as well as my Mother, we have all talked about it many times and feel a sense of pride that if someone in need can use anything we have they are welcome to it. My thoughts on this origionally came from working on automobiles. Some parts were very difficult to find and I was always very happy when I located the used part I was looking for. I believe that God himself would approve that when my soul leaves this body, if the parts left behind would save anothers life it would be shame to throw them in a box and bury them like trash. There are so many good people in need of our used parts lets do the right thing and donate. Make the world a better place and change the lives of several people whose life depends on you.

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  • November 17, 2009 by Cynthia Vaughn

    I agree with you Randy. What good is our body parts when we are gone. If I can help anyone, I will. My husband is testing right now to see if he is bad enough to go on a transplant list for a liver. The transplant committee in Washington, D.C. has guide lines that you have to be at in order to get on the list. We have no insurance and my husband only has benefits through the VA because he served in the Army during the Vietnam Era. But according to the liver specialist at the VA hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, the government has a freeze on any family members or other people donating a liver and this is not allowed. If we had private insurance when this was discovered, it would be allowed. He has a brother in Nashville, Tennessee that had agree to be a donor because everything matched up between them. But the VA said no. So we have no choice but to go on a list, once he is bad enough to do so, at the discretion of the transplant committee in Washington. Their answer to us about the freeze by the government is the recipients are surviving, but the donors are not. I don't really know if this is true or not. I haven't seen anything in writing that says so, just what they tell me. I do think more people should donate their organs in order to help less fortunate people be able to live.

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• November 16, 2009 by R.B.

  Honestly I think that it is a plausible idea, but it has its good points and bad points. Good- think of all the people who would be helped and not stuck on those forever lists waiting. Bad- might this start some sort of black market for organs. Good- financially for the donor and the medical associations this could be a bonus. Bad- unless it is VERY VERY organized and SEVERELY regulated people could get paid for maybe not so heathly organs. As I said there are endless ups and downs. I truly doubt though, since abortion, and assisted suicide are still not at the proper legal levels , that this is going to happen within the next 10-20 yrs.

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• November 16, 2009 by tmh

  Becusase there is such a high demand for organs; myabe it is not a bad idea to have a few dollars taken of of you licensing fee to donate organs. I have always chosen to donate but maybe more people would become aware of the problem if the was compensation involved... Just a thought.

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  • April 16, 2010 by Jeff Walker

    This is perhaps the most pragmatic and sane answer I have read concerning this topic. Legalizing the sale of organs - or the purchase of organs - opens up a Pandora's box of socioeconomic, legal and other abuses. The National Organ Donor Registry, the double-blind procedure used to match donors with those in need - all the checks and balances are not governmental interference but necessary medical protocol and protection. Yet why not take $10 off one's licensing fee at the DMV when it comes time to renew one's license plates? Why not give people getting their driver's license for the first time, or those renewing their license, a monetary incentive to sign up for the National Organ Donor Registry? This way the checks and balances stay in place, order remains, socioeconomic issues do not become a factor, and still an incentive exists to attract new donors. Brilliant idea!

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• November 16, 2009 by john montagnino

  As you can see the market is bad and most people can use some help. if they are willing to share. why not help each other out.

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• November 16, 2009 by Sara Beth Cowgill

  Making live organ marketing legal isn't about altruism AT ALL. It's about creating venues for illegal organ sales, for people selling organs of children, and of organ theft from people taken from bars after slipped a mickey. You guys are just nuts if you think this is a question of whether people can still give-- this is a question on how easy it would be to move organs by people who TAKE. This first comment and the set up of the question is fabricated to completely ignore the history of organ sales in other places-- look at how people have been in the past and look at how people are now; see that there are always going to be good people, willing and caring, and there are always going to be those that steal, lie, cheat and take all they can from the innocent, ignorant and believing. I think all laws should be about protecting the innocent from this faction, and legalizing organ sales protects them, not us. People need to eat better and protect their water sources to keep their organs healthier, and embrace death as part of the circle of life, instead of thinking if I am rich enough, I can live longer with your heart and his liver. The whole idea that the rich would receive before other innocents makes my stomach turn; it's just crazy insane.

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• November 16, 2009 by osinachi obasi

  People should be at liberty to chose what to do with their lives[ or parts after they are gone]. the choice of selling or giving should be a matter for the donor during his lifetime; this is for cadaver donors but, those who wants to sell; either living or dead to take care of needs should be allowed to do so, but with control

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• November 16, 2009 by Amy

  It seems that the rich keep getting their way. (I'm not saying that Job got his way, but how on earth did he jump the donation list? The all american dollar speaks loudly! What I don't understand is who gets the payoff or bribe? If I recall correctly, Thats illegal). Maybe this is just what needs to be done so that the not so fortunate do not get bypassed by the people that can afford anything. However, I do agree that donation would be the better of the two.

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