Selling One's Organs: The Pros and Cons

Controversial it may be, pragmatism and a poignant view of the chronic global shortage of organs, plus the long waiting list for organ transplants, means that organ sales may be the last resort to address this rather pressing issue.

The Patient's Agony

For the patient in dire need of an organ transplant, the wait is often long, painful, and almost likely fatal.

Patients of kidney patients, for example, have to go through extremely painful dialysis, given that their kidneys are no longer capable of removing toxins from their blood.

In most developed countries, the waiting list is long: An earth-shattering 2 million people in China; 50,000 in Latin America (of which 90% are renal patients). Given the ridiculously large numbers of people awaiting life-saving transplants, would the legalization of organ trade help ease off the numbers somewhat?

The fact that a large portion of those on the waiting list would not live to have their much-needed transplants says it all: There is a huge demand for organs, and something must be done about it.

Medical Issues

As in all operations, organ transplants entail a certain level of risk for the donor.

Kidney patients, for example, may die from complications resulting from the operation itself, although such a mortality rate is still considered low enough for certain sections of the poor to take that chance.

There is always the possibility that the donor's health may be affected, especially with kidney transplants. Certain patients may suffer from fatigue and other debilitating symptoms associated with patients with only one functioning kidney.

Religious Issues

The idea that human parts can be traded for monetary benefits sounds like a horror fiction tale from the creep; indeed, given the sacredness of the human body, as expounded by religious leaders, such a trade would be deemed obscene, as if human parts are nothing but slabs of meat placed on the butcher's chopping board, to be bought by the highest bidder.

Most, if not all, pious people would not agree with such a trade, no matter what the benefits can be reaped from such a debatable issue.

Selling Organs: A Rich-Versus Poor Debate

The idea that an ailing rich man can somehow possess a poor man's organ may be the major reason why most nations ban the organ trade, as it leaves the door open for the rich to directly exploit the poor.

The question would arise: Should a poor, ailing man be deprived the right to a transplant, simply because he or could not afford it?

Should a healthy, poor man be made to suffer the indignities of poor health, long after he donates his organs?

Who decides the prizes of organs, and how should they be sold? Should transplants then be based solely on the highest bidder?

Placing social issues directly into the face of medical ones is a hard ball to play with, that we have no doubt. But unless new medical advances allow doctors to use substitute organs from other sources, such as that of animals, organ transplants remain the only pragmatic solution to a long-term medical problem.