Our Organs, Our Property?

It is currently illegal to sell our own organs; however, the need for organ transplants far surpasses the number of available organs. One bioethics expert argues that we should be allowed to put our organs on the market in order to help the supply match the demand. This undoubtedly raises numerous ethical questions, but should we, as rightful owners of our organs, be allowed to receive compensation for donation? Read the following article by Professor Martin Wilkinson, ethics expert at Keele University for one perspective. 

When people's organs fail, their best hope - sometimes their only hope - is a transplant. Transplants are not only effective treatment, they are worth the money too. But there are not enough organs. Tinkering with the rules for consent, using less-than-pristine organs, and more donations by living people have still left a big gap between supply and demand.

Should the law be changed so that people could sell their organs? I think it should. Permitting sale would mean more people could get the organs they need. People should not be stopped from selling their organs because they have a right to do what they want with their bodies when they would not be harming others.

And would allowing sale make more organs available? The most basic economics lesson says that supply increases with price. Organs currently have a price of £0. Give people money for their organs and you will get more of them.

Basic economics is a bit too basic though. Perhaps few people would want to sell; perhaps people who would have donated now would not because, for instance, they are offended by the idea of money changing hands. In theory, the supply of organs could even fall if sales were allowed. However, when Iran gave generous compensation to live kidney `donors', it not only met demand but cleared the backlog on its waiting list.

Of course, people in the UK may not behave like people in Iran, so it would be sensible to do some research into people's willingness to take money for their organs. Still, if the aim is to increase the supply of organs, it would be worth giving sale a try. Click here to read the whole article.