Should selling organs be legal?

[Masterhawk]

The organ trade involves one person donating organs to be transplanted into another. Since many of the organs play an important role in our well being, the selling of organs is very controversial. This may be why many countries have outlawed the selling of organs (but not organ donations), leading to a black market for organs. In the past, India and the Philippines have had legal markets before banning them and Iran currently has a legal market. Most economists believe that it should be legalized while several human rights groups say that it should remain illegal.

Here are arguments for and against legalization. The indented points are for counteractions to the point right above.

Pros

With organ waitlists increasing faster than organ transplants, 15 people have died every day waiting for an organ. Making it legal to sell organs will increase the organ supply.


In addition to saving lives, increasing the organ supply will make research easier.


The money made from selling organs will make it easier to pay for funeral expenses.


Some organs can be sold with relatively little risk for the donor in the short term.

The long term could be a different story.


Reduces the black market, making the process much safer. This would reduce the risks of certain diseases and disorders associated with said organs.

In Iran where selling organs is legal, the black market wasn't completely eliminated. Rather, the black market was in search of healthier donors than those from the legal market.


Establishes self-autonomy and would be consistent with the stance of pro choicers on abortion. People who sell their organs do so at their own risk. Donors will be better informed about the risks of donation in a hospital than in a back alley.

Cons

Organ donations can have an everlasting harmful effect on the donor. In Iran (where organ trade is legal), 58% of donors experienced negative health effects. In Egypt, that number was78% and 96% regretted selling them.

People who sell their organs will do so at their own risk.


Disproportionately affects poor people. These people may not genuinely want to sell their organs and only do so to escape poverty. They may sell their organs for relatively little gain.

Of course, the alternative is staying in poverty.


Could create a social pressure to sell your organs


Not every organ transplant is successful

The same could be said with altruistic organ donations. Increasing the supply of organs would increase the chance of finding a good organ.

 

[Keridan]

I have two rules and I am all for it.

The first is that the person must prove they understand the way the loss of that organ will impact their lives and any dangers involved in surgery or recovery.

Second, the organ must be theirs :wink2:

 

[beefheart]

I sold a Hammond organ once.

 

[joyjoy22]

No, I think it is better when a family member of a dead person just donate the organ of their loved ones if it still functioning well. A friend of mine died in a car accident and his mom decided to donate his cornea to a child. They feel happy everytime they see the kid its like the memory of my friend live on.

 

[Felis Leo]

The organ trade involves one person donating organs to be transplanted into another. Since many of the organs play an important role in our well being, the selling of organs is very controversial. This may be why many countries have outlawed the selling of organs (but not organ donations), leading to a black market for organs. In the past, India and the Philippines have had legal markets before banning them and Iran currently has a legal market. Most economists believe that it should be legalized while several human rights groups say that it should remain illegal.

Here are arguments for and against legalization. The indented points are for counteractions to the point right above.

Pros

With organ waitlists increasing faster than organ transplants, 15 people have died every day waiting for an organ. Making it legal to sell organs will increase the organ supply.


In addition to saving lives, increasing the organ supply will make research easier.


The money made from selling organs will make it easier to pay for funeral expenses.


Some organs can be sold with relatively little risk for the donor in the short term.

The long term could be a different story.


Reduces the black market, making the process much safer. This would reduce the risks of certain diseases and disorders associated with said organs.

In Iran where selling organs is legal, the black market wasn't completely eliminated. Rather, the black market was in search of healthier donors than those from the legal market.


Establishes self-autonomy and would be consistent with the stance of pro choicers on abortion. People who sell their organs do so at their own risk. Donors will be better informed about the risks of donation in a hospital than in a back alley.

Cons

Organ donations can have an everlasting harmful effect on the donor. In Iran (where organ trade is legal), 58% of donors experienced negative health effects. In Egypt, that number was78% and 96% regretted selling them.

People who sell their organs will do so at their own risk.


Disproportionately affects poor people. These people may not genuinely want to sell their organs and only do so to escape poverty. They may sell their organs for relatively little gain.

Of course, the alternative is staying in poverty.


Could create a social pressure to sell your organs


Not every organ transplant is successful

The same could be said with altruistic organ donations. Increasing the supply of organs would increase the chance of finding a good organ.

The part that I am concerned with I enlarged and bolded for emphasis. I am against the legalization of commercial organ harvesting for the same reason that I am against prostitution: That it legalizes the exploitation of the most vulnerable people within society under the sickening pretense that they are somehow being liberated. This will affect the poorest in society who are so desperate as to sell their organs and risk remaining in a state of permanent debilitation (or an early death), and will benefit only those rich enough to afford those organs.

 

[Phys251]

Not just no but hell no.

The way to fix the problem of organ shortages is to change the system from organ donation opt-in to opt-out.

 

[AK Conservative]

If someone wants to donate their own organ that's great, but the problem I see is that it may make it legal to sell organs from aborted babies.

 

[HumblePi]

The U.S. is a wealthy country and there should never be anyone in such a dire and desperate situation that they need to sell their organs. That's common in other countries like Angola, Ecuador, and it's legal in Iran to sell your organs.

 

[Ahlevah]

I think the organ shortage is a problem that science, technology, and free enterprise (i.e. capitalism) will solve eventually.

Martine Rothblatt's theory of evolution

 

[Mr Person]

Organ shortage is a problem.

Legalizing straight-up organ sale would be the most bitterly evil regressive policy ever. Those in favor would no doubt couch it in terms of "choice" and "freedom." To the extent they do that, it is a move to try to paper over the fact that they know full well that the poorest will do it to get money.

Hell...your family might end up on the street. You can't buy food. Maybe it's shutdown, maybe it's bad luck, maybe it sucks. Do you sell a kidney to feed your family for a while longer?




And if anyone is a big enough "L" of a big-L libertarian to couch it in freedom, I say: you're an anarchist who says Libertarian only because you think the label conveys more legitimacy to your views than they deserve.

I'm an organ donor, sure. But there isn't any question about what will happen if it's legal.

 

[Waddy]

Whether you should do it or not is a different discussion. Who will end up doing the selling is a different discussion. But should it be legal? Certainly it should be considered Constitutional. The reasoning behind Roe fits this case nicely. Right to privacy. You can't tell me what to do with my own body.