Preview

National Organ Transplant Act

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1469 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
National Organ Transplant Act
Every single year 4,000 people die waiting to receive a kidney alone. Thousands more die waiting on the organ donor list. It is the desperate need to survive that has caused people to do immeasurable things, even if it’s illegal. The organ sales on the black market is a very real thing. Obviously, there is a great need for organs, so is the global market for organ sales the answer? This is a complicated and delicate question to pose because many believe that a for profit system cannot exist without exploiting the poor and underprivileged. However, is the need for the market so great that society should be willing to take that risk? Is the fear of death so great, that you would go to jail in order to keep living? This paper will portray different …show more content…
What is the incentive for people to donate? Many believe that if the buying and selling of organs becomes legal, that this would be a unique way of not only saving thousands of lives every year, but also allowing many people to be pulled out of poverty and live a life where one’s family is provided for (Shafer and Cunningham, 2011). The final argument against allowing for monetary compensation for organ donation is that many maintain desperate people do desperate things. This means that people may choose to donate even though it is against their better judgement, thus making the action less voluntary. However, medical experts say that there must be a level of consent and understanding for the danger that the donor will undergo during this process. Consent means that they must understand the risks, as well as, the reward and be willing to undergo the process. Any hesitation would undermine consent and would void the process (Wilkinson, …show more content…
I believe that under certain circumstances, I can understand the need for the black market. There are so many facts and angles to consider when looking into organ donation and sales. Clearly, there is a great need or there would not be a black market in the first place.
It is hard to imagine a family or friend that has not been touched by the tragedy of knowing someone who has desperately needed a transplant. My uncle was diagnosed with Hepatitis C about six years ago. We watched as this man we loved deteriorated before our very eyes. It seemed as though every single day was worse than the last. His eyes and skin began to yellow, and the weight started to fall off of him, like it never belonged there in the first place. Suddenly, my uncle was completely consumed by a body that was failing him; and there was absolutely nothing we could do about

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In MacKay’s essay, “Organ Sales Will Save Lives,” she states that legalizing the sale of human organs will save millions of lives. Instead of prohibiting the sale of human organs, she believes the government should make it legal and manage the process. Kidney transplantation or dialysis is the only treatments available for people suffering from renal failure (MacKay 157). Dialysis is temporary and it has horrific side effects. Whereas, a kidney transplant offers a permanent solution. According to MacKay, there are not many people willing to donate their kidney without some form of compensation (157). Therefore, patients are desperately turning to the black market to purchase a kidney from a living donor. Although…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Currently, the United States is facing a crisis. On average, 20 people are dying every day because there is a shortage of organs. Right now, to receive an organ, one must wait for an organ donor to die, or receive an organ from someone who is willing to give up one of theirs. With technology and medical advances, organ transplants are becoming more successful, effective, and safe. For those reasons, many people would be willing to sell an organ to a complete stranger. But right now, it is illegal for someone to sell their organs. In turn, this has created a black market for organs, and from this, it has caused chaos in some countries. There needs to be a legal market for organs because it will actually help the economy,…

    • 1446 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Organs are constantly needed around the world by dying patients and anxious doctors. Sadly, there isn’t enough donors so patients stuck in the waiting list are being left untreated because of the lack of organs. I believe donating should be forced to be mandatory everywhere because people don’t believe they need to. In reality it is our moral duty to help whoever is in need. I plan to present the benefits, problems, and solutions towards this controversial topic.…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Compensating donors for organ donations is one of the most controversial debates we have today. The shortage of organ donations in America is the one of the main reason there is a sudden drive to supplement the possible sources of organs. It first began with the move from donations of organs from cadaver to donations from living donors, and no the debate is rerisen, to the possibility of building a market for organ donations with a financial incentive.…

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In modern medicine societies, organ transplantation is an opportunity to save peoples’ lives. The downside of organ transplantation is that the demand for organs outweighs the supply. This becomes morally challenging in the context for those who participate in a market as a solution due to the lack of available organs. A market is the selling of organs, which is an unlawful practice in many parts of the world. It is a transaction between those who are seeking for organs to arrange with brokers, and procure organs from those who exist in impoverished, underdeveloped countries. An effort to increase the organ pool is to offer a financial inducement for the organ vendors. The ethical issue of this strategy is that donors no longer participate for altruistic reasons but decide to become vendors, for financial purposes, which means to partake in a commodity for material gain.…

    • 1544 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Almost everyone would want to be able to say, “I have saved a life.” But by becoming an organ donor, you can be able to say, “I will save a life.” Organ donation is a selfless way to give back to others, and to be able to make a huge difference by giving another person a second chance at life. Unfortunately, the number of patients waiting for organs far exceeds the number of people who have registered to become organ donors. Patients are forced to wait months, even years for a match, and far too many die before they are provided with a suitable organ. There are many stigmas related to organ donation, but most of them are relatively false, and in order to be well informed, you must know what organ donation is, how it works as well as how you can become an organ donor and what organs or tissues you can donate. Becoming an organ donor after death is not only an important decision for yourself, but it is also an important decision for the life that you may have the power to save. (Finn, Robert)…

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    While walking down a city street, alarming cries for help ring out through the air, and it is observed that an individual that appears to be living well has a helpless, poor victim held down, relentlessly beating them to the ground and taking what little they have left for their own advantage and benefit. What would be the right thing to do; run away or try to help, either by stepping in or calling the proper authorities? The morally ethical thing to do would be to help and do what has to be done to stand up for what is right. This same general scenario is happening not too far from this country, where organ brokers are victimizing innocent and poverty-stricken mothers and fathers trying to find a way to provide and get out of debt, by either forcing or deceiving them to give up an organ or cheating them whether formally or informally, after they agree to sell, by either not paying them for their organ at all or only paying a fraction of the promised price (Glaser, S.,2005). But the way that nobody tries to help is the same as walking by that same victim that is being beaten on the street. These poor victimized sellers that are turning to that option, unfortunately are completely ignorant to and uneducated on the process, certain organs in their bodies, or any of the functions or importance of those organs which leaves them wide open to exploitation. Therefore, my proposal is to find a way to stop these horrible things from happening to the potential and desperate sellers, by educating them, giving them other means that help both those who are seeking financial gain by selling, and those who desperately are seeking an organ to survive, and eliminating them from the black market organ brokers’ manipulation and exploitative grasp.…

    • 1500 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    According to the website, Donate Life America, more than 100,000 men, women, and children currently need life-saving organ transplants. In 2009, there were only 8,021 deceased organ donors, and 6,610 living donors resulting in 28,465 organ transplants. This massive shortage in organ donors brings about a crisis among many waiting for an organ. While the process is still illegal in the United States, black markets have made organ donations profitable to those who are willing to donate while giving the wealthy an advantage over individuals with less monetary resources. However, other countries such as Canada, France and The United Kingdom, have introduced reimbursement programs that pay out of pocket expenses for the live donor. These expenses can include: lost wages, travel expenses, lodging, and meals. While 90% of Americans say they support donations, only 30% know the essential steps to take to become a donor. This has made finding new avenues of educating and luring live donors essential. Live donors are able to donate: a single kidney, portions of the liver, lobes of the lungs, and portions of the pancreas. Should the United States initiate a reimbursed organ donation program, while introducing government regulation and funding; it would increase the quantity of live tissue donors, making organ donations more accessible to all populations who desperately need them.…

    • 1766 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Alexander T. Tabarrok’s essay, “A Moral Solution to the Organ Shortage” Alexander explains ways to find solutions to the organ shortage by proposing a fair way to go about qualifying for organ transplant. Gary Becker suggested that paying a good amount of money toward funeral cost of organ donors would help and encourage people to donate their organs. The new rule that Alexander wanted to proposed is the “no -give - no - take” rule. Under this rule in order to receive an organ a person must have previously signed their organ donor card. Under “no - give - no take”, signing your organ donor card is like joining the club, the club of people who have agreed to share their organs. People have different views when it comes to donating organs. Some have their doubts about becoming an organ donor because of their religious beliefs, while others thinks that by signing an organ donor card it’s same as buying an insurance . NOTE In some ways I agree with Alexander on this new rule that he has proposed ( UNOS). Having a donor card is a good idea to make sure there is surplus of organs able to be donated. I’m not convinced that the “no- give no - take” rule will be productive to solve the shortage of our organ donors any time soon, since Alexander’s essay was based on suggestion. As for myself I would have doubt of donating my organs not because of my religion or beliefs, but the trust of the people that handling my organs. This essay has inspired me to rethink being an organ donor because of the problems of most organizations. In my own views, paying tremendous amounts of money to organ donors to saved someones life is a wrong way to help people that in need. As time progresses and suggestions becomes reality I would be more confident in donating my organs. NOTE…

    • 317 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    organs will save lives

    • 911 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the essay “Organ Sales Will Save Lives” by Joanna MacKay, kidney failure is the main topic. In her thesis, MacKay states that, “Governments should not ban the sale of human organs; they should regulate it (92).” The thesis is supported by one main reason: it will save lives. In America 350,000 people struggle each year from this situation. MacKay also states that with the legal selling of organs, more people will be willing to give up their kidneys. There are also other ways to save lives like dialysis, but this situation would only be for a temporary time period, transplant is definitely the way to go. People in third world countries are extremely willing to sell their kidneys because they need the money (94). MacKay points out that there is a black market for selling kidneys for $150,000 because it is illegal to sell organs in many countries (93). The broker who arranges the sale, takes advantage of uneducated poor people who are in desperate need of money, only paying them around $1,000 for a kidney (93). People around the world also donate kidneys from the good of their heart; these people have very good moral reasoning’s. She then goes on to talk about the pros and cons of this transplant and how everybody gains except the patient. The workers in the hospitals are paid to do the operation, the person who needs the kidney walks away with one, and the donor is left with nothing. The Government could also regulate this transaction to help make the donors receive money, this way there would be more kidneys up for grab. In her essay Mackay uses statistics and accurate evidence to get through to the readers how she feels about the cause and effect of this operation in modern day.…

    • 911 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Commercialization of organ transplant can lead to health risks to the donor. People who are not fit to donate may offer to donate their organ for the monetary gains. This can result even in the death of the donor. Commercialization of organs may lead to loss of integrity and ethics in the society. People who are mentally unstable may be coerced to donate their organs. The rate of crime will also rise in the society. People will start killing each other so as to obtain the organs (Kanniyakonil, 2005). Commercialization of organs may lead to extortion of patients. This is in the case where an increase in the demand of a given…

    • 943 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Organ Sales

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages

    will cut dialysis costs and save lives, of both patients in need of new kidneys and those selling or receiving kidneys illegally by unregulated surgeons.” This is a good point, the organs would be ensured safe. The people donating would be more motivated to donate more organs if there was an incentive of making money. Some people fear that, “The lawful sale of organs would legitimize human sacrifice.” Although this might be true successful transplants depended on knowledge of characteristics of the donor. The origin of the organ to be sold must be known for it to be used. Although many fear legalization of this may bring about a “sacrifice spree” others realize that, “The black market cannot be regulated, but its purpose would be defeated if the sale of organs became lawful”. Also legalizing organ selling will create an unlevel playing field. Meaning that people that could not afford to buy an organ would die and the wealthy people will live.…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In some parts of the globe, there are ads roaming related to procurement of organs from individuals who are impoverished and destitute. The government and the public must be vigilant in exposing this black market trade of organ trafficking so as to safeguard the dignity, confidentiality, and humanity in general. The mainstream media must be cooperative in relaying to the public not only the positive implications of medical research but also the contrary, so that that knowledge and understanding of present scientific advancement and problems may be learned.…

    • 1299 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Organ Shortage

    • 1884 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Organ transplantation is a term that most people are familiar with. When a person develops the need for a new organ either due to an accident or disease, they receive a transplant, right? No, that 's not always right. When a person needs a new organ, they usually face a long term struggle that they may never see the end of, at least while they are alive. The demand for transplant organs is a challenging problem that many people are working to solve. Countries all over the world face the organ shortage epidemic, and they all have different laws regarding what can be done to solve it. However, no country has been able to create a successful plan without causing moral and ethical dilemmas.…

    • 1884 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Organs For Sale Summary

    • 1135 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “Organs for Sale” is an argument written in response to the on-going ethical debate of a market-based incentive program to meet the rising demands of organ transplants. With many on the waiting list for new organs and few organs being offered, the author, Sally Satel, urges for legalization of payment to organ donors. Once in need of a new kidney herself, Sally writes of the anguish she encountered while facing three days a week on dialysis and the long wait on the UNOS list with no prospective willing donors in sight. She goes on to list several saddening researched facts on dialysis patients survival rates, length of time on the UNOS wait list, and registered as well as deceased donor numbers. While Sally is…

    • 1135 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays