Organs for Sale?

            What distinguishes the difference between selling one’s organs and selling one’s plasma? This comes to mind when I think about if individuals should have the right to sell their organs. There are two different ways to approach this question, from the seller or the buyer.  First, if the seller is a healthy human who can survive without one of his or her organs, why don’t they have the right to help save someone’s life by being selling their organ? From an economist’s point of view, selling one’s organs is only sensible. It is a market where if you are willing to sell, you have no risk of losing in the market; either making a profit in selling or remaining the same by keeping the organ. The product never gets wasted. People in need of an organ are going to put out a major amount of money when trying to save their life, and if you as the seller can survive without the organ, it is only logical. However, when you take the view from the buyer or one in need of an organ is it really ethical to have to pay when your life is already on the line? The buyer is already going to have to pay thousands of dollars for medical bills and now having to pay for the organ, financially it is going to leave them in a huge financial debt after their surgery. Is it really right to put someone in a position where you are putting a price tag on their life? In my personal opinion, it is legally correct, but ethically wrong. Someone who is in a position of losing their life should not have to pay the rest of their life away to survive and the one selling their organ should not be doing it for the number on the check, they should be doing it because of human compassion for each other.

            After reading “Sell Organs to Save Lives” my opinion does not change. Author Martin Wilkinson makes many powerful points on why the selling of organs should be legalized. I agree with Wilkinson, but also agree with that, the market would need to be regulated. We as humans can not be ethically correct by selling organs at overwhelming prices, forcing the buyer into unrealistic debt.  Yes, they should get paid a good deal; they are selling a part of their body and will have to change their own life style for the rest of their life. But there needs to be equilibrium within the market. Finally, if by legalizing the sale of organs decreases the number of organ donors it will make transplants for the middle or low class somewhat impossible to receive. Only the rich will be able to buy organs and not enough donors will be there to balance the number in need. Selling one’s organs can be a very profitable sale, but are you willing to make the person and their loved ones put a price on their life?

More information on the sale of organs