Pros And Cons Of Legalizing Organ Sales

Currently, many people die from organ-related diseases. The organ supply is insufficient compared to the demand. Hence, the legalization of organ sales has been suggested and discussed. Those in support of organ sales assert that these transactions could be regulated through a closely watched organ market, and they believe that this system will help the poor who are in need financially. However, the shortage of organs is not enough to break the old and well-established custom. Organ sales should not be legalized because they will engender deleterious results such as decrease in the number of donors, exploitation of the poor, and commodification of the body.
Supporters focus on the shortage of organs and insist that the supply will be increased by the legalization of organ sales. They expect this practice can solve the lack of organs. According to Robert Sade, sales of kidneys will save lives of many patients who have to have kidney transplants, and the number of kidneys to transplant will increase gradually also (19). Wanting the financial incentives organ sellers will increase in number. Furthermore, prices of organs will reduce because more organs will be available on the market. Nevertheless, the price will still be expensive since organs are not products people can make. Poor patients cannot buy organs, and they will need to wait
Organ sellers, who are mostly poor people, would be treated as those who deserve to deal with their body parts. Trade in organs is losing human dignity and degrading ourselves (Matus 2011). The legalization can save patients’ lives, but when the system is maintained further, the next generation thinks they can naturally buy organs from the poor. They perhaps consider organs of human as products, which they can buy easily. In brief, the organ transaction eventually leads to commercialization of the body, which depersonalizes human