In recent years, as shortage between the need for organs and the number of organs available has increased. There has been extensive debate about whether or not there should be a market for human organs. Supporters of a market for human organs argue that the chronic shortage of organs for transplant could be reduced, or even eliminated, if donors were paid for the use of their organs. A common suggestion is that a person should sell the right to remove his/her organs if they are suitable for transplant after the person’s death. However, the practice of direct payments could possible cause two major problems.
The first problem is that individual income and wealth would determine who supplies and who receives organs. Legalizing the market for human organs would open the potential for exploitation of poor families who might be desperate for money. In addition, such a system would produce inequalities in which those people who have the highest income would be among the first to get the transplant organs.
Secondly, a policy that turns body parts into a commodity would generate the growth of crimes related to the acquisition of organs in certain countries. In those countries where there are poor restrictions and regulations on trade in organs, there could be increases in violations. It could be possible that people would be forced to give their consent to become live organ givers or their organs would even be harvested without consent.
It is very likely that the legalization of the market for human organs would have several considerable drawbacks, including unequal collection and distribution of transplant organs and increases in human rights violations. Instead, we need to work toward a way of fostering the incentives to increase people’s willingness to donate organs for transplant.
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I agree that there are positive and negative aspects to organ donation. There are many people who suffer and even die from not having healthy organs. I feel that people who have the money should have to pay more for them because this would benefit the hospitals and people who can't afford them insurance can help. I think this will help have a balance to our enconomy and help out hospitals. There are so many people who have hundreds of millions of dollars which I feel is totally unessary because there are so many people sturggling to just feed themselves. I know that if someone in my family needed some type of organ that I would be willing to help them out. Also when people die they can donate organs. When your dead is doesn't matter so I think people should donate their organs when they pass away as well.
ReplyDeleteI think there are pro's and con's as well but I think that the con's out weigh the pro's. As you said people with money will think they are owed the organs and people who are not as wealthy will struggle for the right to them. I think could also be an increase in suicides. People in fiinancial trouble will do almost anything to help their family. I know that may sounds a little far fetched, but I think people will run with this ideas and take it to extremes as we Americans love to do.
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ReplyDeleteA few days ago, in my speech class, I presented a speech on how to increase the number of people willing to donate their organs for organ transplants. Researching this topic, I identified several causes of transplant shortage. The main one is that donors not only donate their organs but also lose their money, which cannot be an attractive appeal to the public for extensive organ donation. First of all, during the preliminary medical visits, the operation, and the long recovery time, living donors are not able to work normally, which definitely affects their financial well-being. In addition, organ donation leads to patients that could have chronic health problems that would require expensive medical assistance, which donors must pay for. So, I proposed several alternative methods of providing incentives and benefits, not cash payments but material return of some kind, to organ donors or their families that may supposedly encourage and increase organ donation, including free health insurance (that would only cover the cost of medical assistance somehow related to the transplant surgery), a one-time annual tax deduction, and the coverage of funeral expenses of deceased donors. Thus, I suppose many deaths can be prevented and many lives can be saved.
ReplyDeleteI think that if insurance companies could put together a program to care for those willing to donate organs while still alive. Although someone could not live with our their heart it is possible to donate a kidney, liver, lung, bone marrow, platelets, and many other vital organs. If there could be legal compansation from insurance companies for a "live" and willing donor they may be suprised at the number of people willing to give something away to save a life. I once offered to donate bone marrow, which is not a fun process, my insurance company wanted to charge me $375 for my 20% to be tested and complete the proceedure. That was rediculous to me that I had to pay to help someone. People don't have to die to donate an organ, and they could find a way to make sure that the rich aren't the only people able to buy them!
ReplyDeleteIt is SO important for us to find a way to encourage (thousands and thousands) more living donors. Bakha, your proposal is a great idea.
ReplyDeleteOne of the issues with selling organs that hasn't full been discussed here is the issue of full voluntary consent. Directed donations- those going to a certain person you want to help- are strongly influenced by your relationship with that person and social pressure to help. Additionally, being paid to donate an organ puts people who are cash-strapped in the position to do something they might not otherwise do. So, non-direct donations (those going to strangers) that do not involve money are really the only ways to ethically guarantee that the donor isn't in any way being coerced or pressured to donate.
Everyone can sign up to be a bone marrow donor really easily. You swab your cheek, mail it back, and ... wait to see if anyone who needs a bone marrow transplant is a match. Donating organs (kidneys are common) is a bit more serious and complicated, but this can happen too, if one is interested.
Oh, and ... there are many states that offer state employees paid or unpaid leave ... and other states that offer up to a $10,000 tax credit for expenses incurred by donors. We DO need policies that protect donors from insurance companies charging for donation AND preventing coverage due to the donation.
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