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Policy Debate-Should There Be A Market For Human Organs
Policy Debate-Should There Be A Market For Human Organs
Policy Debate-Should There Be A Market For Human Organs
While donors cannot legally be paid for providing organs, there is a very active market for
human organs. Organ procurement organizations, operating as local monopolies, collect organs
from voluntary donors and then provide them to hospitals that provide transplants. While the
National Organ Transplant Act prohibits payments to patients, it allows organ procurement
agencies to receive a fee for the removal and transportation of organs.
Opponents of market-based allocation systems argue that individual income and wealth would
determine who receives and who supplies organs. They argue that decisions concerning who
should receive a transplant should be based upon medical criteria rather than on income and
wealth.
Supporters of a market for human organs argue that the chronic shortage of organs for transplant
could be reduced or eliminated if donors (or their survivors) were paid for the use of their organs.
One popular suggestion is the use of a futures contract in which an individual sells the right to
harvest his or her organs if they are suitable for transplant at the time of the individual's death.
One concern that is often raised is the growth of an international black market for organs. Those
countries that have a surplus of organs are generally those in which there are the least restrictions
on trade in organs. Allegations of human rights violations associated with the acquisition of
transplant organs in these countries are not uncommon. Numerous (often well-supported)
allegations have been made suggesting that China has executed prisoners to satisfy the demand
for organs.
National Attorneys' Committee for Transplant Awareness, Inc., "Organ and Tissue
Donation and Transplantation: A Legal Perspective""
http://www.transweb.org/reference/articles/donation/nacta.html
This document provides information about the laws governing organ donation.
Henry Hansmann, "The Economics and Ethics of Markets for Human Organs"
http://www.pitt.edu/~htk/hansmann.htm
This essay is an excerpt from Organ Transplantation Policy: Issues and Prospects
(Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1989), by Henry Hansmann. In this essay,
Hansmann argues that a market for human organs would provide incentives that would
significantly increase the supply of organs, thereby saving many human lives. He
suggests that laws prohibiting sales of human organs were introduced to restrict unethical
sales of organs from living donors. Hansmann recommends that a futures market be
adopted in which healthy individuals are allowed to sell the right to harvest their organs
after their death. He suggests a number of ways in which such a market could be
implemented.
Donald Boudreaux and A.C. Pritchard, "Organ Donation: Saving Lives through
Incentives"
http://www.mackinac.org/2482
In this October 4, 1999 online article, Donald Boudreaux and A.C. Pritchard argue that
economic incentives should be used to induce individuals to donate organs. Their
suggestion is a relatively modest payment of $10 to $25 to individuals who sign organ
donor cards. They suggest that the cost of such a program could be covered by the
American Red Cross or a similar organization. Under their plan, charitable organizations
that pay individuals to sign the donor card could be compensated by a health insurer
whenever an organ is provided by one of these individuals. Boudreaux and Pritchard
argue that such a system would provide a Pareto improvement that would benefit
potential organ donors, charitable organizations, hospitals, and the recipient of the
transplanted organs.
Organ Keeper
http://www.organkeeper.com/
This is the website of an organization that argues that payments to organ donors should
be allowed. They note that everyone else involved in the process of providing organs for
transplant purposes is compensated except for the actual donor. It is argued that
compensation would eliminate the shortage of transplant organs.
OrganSales.com
http://www.organsales.com/
This is a website for an organization that tries to locate donor material for patients in need
of transplants. The authors of this site are in favor of eliminating the ban on the sale of
human organs.
Nancy Scheper-Hughes, "The End of the Body: The Global Traffic in Organs"
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/biotech/organswatch/pages/cadraft.html
In this online May 14, 1998 essay, Nancy Scheper-Hughes raises several concerns about
the development of international markets for human organs. She argues that a growing
international black-market harms economically disadvantaged individuals to provide
benefits for wealthy individuals. Scheper-Hughes suggests that kidney sales provide
funds for low-income households in India and Brazil. She suggests that the "scarcity" of
organs is an artificial need that is created by the "human denial and refusal of aging."
Payment Subcommittee of the United Network for Organ Sharing Ethics Committee,
"Financial Incentives for Organ Donation"
http://www.unos.org/resources/bioethics.asp?index=3
This report provides a nice summary of the arguments for and against the use of financial
incentives to encourage organ donations. It is suggested that more study of public
opinions and attitudes be done before any such plan is implemented.
In this March 16, 1998 article, David J. Rothman discusses international trade in human
organs. He notes that there have been human rights abuses associated with the provision
of organs in several countries, most notably China. Rothman suggests that international
medical associations should do more to prevent these abuses from occurring.
World Medical Association, "Declaration on Human Organ & Tissue Donation and
Transplantation"
http://www.wma.net/e/policy/17-180_e.html
This page contains the text of the World Medical Association's October 2000 declaration
on human organ transplantation. This document contains a set of ethical principles
concerning organ transplantation. In particular, they state that: "Payment for organs and
tissues for donation and transplantation should be prohibited."