The Weaknesses Of The Australian Government Allowing Donors To Be Paid For Organs?

There are diversified augments in favor of and against organ sales. I will focus on the arguments of Joanna MacKay from her essay “Organ Sales Will Save Lives” and R.R Kishore’s essay “Human Organs, Scarcities, and Sale: Morality Revisited”. MacKay argues in favor of organ trade legalization stating “government should not ban the sale of human organs; they should regulate it. Kishore argues against organ trade legalization stating “the integrity of the human body should never be subject to trade”.

First, the effect of selling organs on the society. In the modern medical world selling organs do exist. When I was young I saw people on TV selling their organs, and as a child I felt horrible because how is the giver, since it is done for the money I cannot call this person a donor, how is this person going to live normally. Present-day organ trafficking certainly does involve excessive and unacceptable levels of harm. It has negative effect wither it is on the giver because this person is taking off a peace of a working system. Also, no matter how many medical tests would state that the body is not going to be hurt by

The demand for organ donors far exceeds the supply of available organs. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) … there are more than 77,000 people in the U.S. who are waiting to receive an organ (Organ Selling 1). The article goes on to say that the majority of those on the national organ transplant waiting list are in need of kidneys, an overwhelming 50,000 people. Although financial gain in the U.S and in most countries is illegal, by legalizing and structuring a scale for organ donor monetary payment, the shortage of available donors could be reduced. Legalizing this controversial issue will help with the projected forecast for a decrease in the number of people on the waiting list, the ethical concerns around benefitting from organ donation, and to include compensation for the organ donor.

I have had a grandparents who has needed a transplant a kidney transplant in the past. Fortunately my cousin donated one of her kidneys to him, and I know if I was a match I would donate to anyone in my family if they need it. If I was not a match and no one else in my family was I would want to have to opportunity to allow them to have the chance to buy the organ they need from someone who is a match in order for them to live. By allowing people to get paid for selling organs there will be a lot more people who are willing to help. For every one hundred thousand transplants that are needed, only ten thousand are performed each year. By having an organ from an alive human the odds of the organ succeeding and staying alive in the patient are so much greater. Up to seventy percent of performed organ transplants will fail in the next ten years, but if the recipients are from alive donors the odds are so much better. For one, the matches from the donor to the patient will be so much closer because the supply of organs will be so high since people will be so willing, people can find the best match

Opponents like to claim that it exploits the poor. “Opponents of … organ trade argue that buying organs from the poor is simply exploitation...” (Croughs 1/9). While it could be seen as exploitation, most of the time it’s simply not that at all. People think its exploitation because of the fact that their quite literally selling their body for money, but is it still considered exploitation if it can benefit an abundance of other people in need? Another claim opponents of organ trade argue is “Selling an organ entails more risk than working at a factory or shining shoes…” (Croughs 2/9). While this statement could be proven true, if the organ or human matter was properly taken out and the patient got treatment after the removal, it wouldn’t be as dangerous. It definitely wouldn’t be as dangerous if it was just a kidney or a vial of blood being removed, a person can live perfectly fine without either of those, if they have no further medical issues. Likewise, selling an organ compared to working in a factory is more dangerous if done improperly, but either way the person makes money for their work. Also people claim that the donors “… were back in debt despite having sold a kidney, possibly related to issues linked to their social status…” (Hudson 2/6). This wouldn’t have happened if the person used the money wisely. To say the least, if a poverty-stricken person was to sell their own organs it wouldn’t be

There are 112 thousand people on the organ transplant list and 22 people die every day because they cannot find a match ("Organ Donation Statistics", 2017). In 1984, under the National Organ Transplant Act, America outlawed the buying and selling of organs. If caught selling organs illegally, those involved shall be fined not more than $50,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both (Prohibition of Organ Purchases, 2011). With organizations like Planned Parenthood selling the body parts of aborted fetuses, the compensation of organs has been compared to prostitution. (Gebelhoff, 2015). If organ donors begin being compensated for their gifts of life, the Black Market organ trafficking will increase due to supply and demand of organs which in return creates a higher victim rate related to the black market. Offering money for organs can be viewed as an attempt to coerce economically disadvantaged Americans to participate in organ donation even though these groups of people have been shown to be less likely to be candidates, monetary incentives for organs could be characterized as exploitation (National Kidney Foundation, 2003). The Compensation of organ donation is unethical due to the acts by organizations such as Planned Parenthood, black market increases along with acts of cruelty towards unexpecting victims, and the increase in costs to perform the transplants.

Over the years, kidney transplants have become much safer and easier to perform due to medical advances and new medications on the market and the risk for the donor and the recipient is very low. A person should have the right to do what they want with their own body, especially when it comes to matters of life and death. Selling a kidney to help one financially, as well as helping another person live a longer and fuller life is ethically correct. If a person can sell blood, sperm, and even pregnant women who are either surrogates or giving up their baby to a childless couple, have their entire medical and lifestyle needs paid for by the adopting parents, then why cannot similar rules be made for organs sales? Tens of thousands of lives could be saved if countries change their laws. Imagine what a true and wonderful difference in the lives of these people could be made.

It is an indisputable fact that under the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984, there is a larger demand for organs than there is available supply. As a result, people in need of kidney or liver transplants die every year while waiting. Under the current system, the only way to receive an organ transplant is either by having a family member selflessly volunteer to donate theirs, or by being put on a waiting list to receive an organ from the recently deceased. To combat this lack of supply, some in need of transplants desperately turn to the black market, paying enormous sums of money for organs that were more than likely taken illegally. Others die waiting for a transplant that was never realistically going to happen in time. In essence, the gap between supply and demand for organs is causing both a loss in quantity and quality of lives. However, changing policy to allow payments to organ donors would drastically reduce this gap, therefore decreasing wait time for organs and saving lives. The crucial step that must be taken to save these lives is to repeal the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984 which prohibits the sale of organs.

Paying people for giving their kidneys would dramatically increase the number of donors and save many more lives as opposed to waiting for people to donate their organs out of the kindness of their heart and expect nothing in return. MacKay appeals to a person’s logical nature when she states that money rules people, in which it very much so does. The money that could be gained from legal organ transactions is immense; MacKay states that it is in the ballpark of $25,000. MacKay’s solution would not only legalize the selling of organs, but also make it regulated by the government, eliminating many people’s fears of the possible consequences of legalization.  She also argues how it would be easier to control the lawful sale of organs as opposed to the unlawful sale.

Many suggest that offering incentives or some form of monetary reimbursement for organs is likely to increase the quantity of organ donors and make the entire process easier for both donors and recipients. The severe organ shortage has generated such desperation that people all over the world have begun to resort to unethical practices to obtain the priceless organs.

In “Why We Need a Market for Human Organs” Sally Satel, a practicing psychiatrist, tells the Wall Street Journal that people should be allowed to sell their kidneys. Gavin Carney, an Australian nephrologist, states that “the current system isn’t working,” he was quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald. He also states that people do not want to just give their organ away for free. Everybody wants money for something they are giving away. Satel claims that Australians would most likely give organs for $50,000. Although that is only a number Dr. Carney came up with and suggested to the federal government. Is selling organs legally such a concern that we as the people should be told if we can get money for the organs we sell?

More than 100,000 men, women and children in need of life-saving organ transplants, every 10 minutes another person is added to the national organ transplant waiting list and averages of 18 people die each day from the lack of available organs. (donatelife.net) Organ transplants are very important because they replace the damaged organ and help the body function once again. There are still huge shortages of organs, even after awareness and other ways of educating the public. Some Americans are open to donating but many more are against it or unaware of the process which leaves many without organs and dying every day. The ongoing debate is whether to give financial incentives to organ donors to promote organ donation which would put a price

Since the NOTA was passed in 1984 making the sale of organs illegal it has done the complete opposite in which it was created for. It was created to protect people when in fact it has exploited people because of the way the black market and organ traffickers are able to manipulate people. In addition, because there is a lack in organ donations those who are able to afford an organ transplant are forced to deal with the dangers of going to a foreign country for the surgery, and face the possibility of being operated on in unsanitary conditions or being robbed. The seller may also be put in a dangerous situations of being robbed of their organs or not receiving payment for their organs. Another problem that donors face is not having medical

The ethical issue for the majority of people in the U.S. does not seem to be whether donating organs should be allowed, but instead should someone be compensated for their donation. As described earlier, the U.S. has a major shortage of organs and an even greater shortage is found in some areas of the world. However, countries like Iran have found a way to eliminate their shortage completely. “Iran adopted a system of paying kidney donors in 1988 and within 11 years it became the only country in the world to clear its waiting list for transplants.” (Economist, 2011) Although this sounds promising, it is important to look at the effects on the organ donor. In a study done on Iranian donors who sold their kidneys, it was found that many donors were negatively affected emotionally and physically after donating and that given the chance most would never donate again nor would they advise anyone else to do so. (Zargooshi, 2001) Additionally, many claimed to be worse off financially after donating due to an inability to work. (Goyal, 2002) To some, this last set of findings would be enough to supersede the benefit of clearing the organ waiting lists.

     In the United States, organ sales are illegal, and conducted only on the black market and with either unlicensed or underhanded doctors performing the operations. The law prohibiting selling organs is there primarily to protect a person’s life and “pursuit of happiness.” What happens when people get paid for donating organs? A human being only needs one lung and one kidney; many people would endanger their health by donating organs to get money. A booming industry of organ sales would emerge, with some people stooping to violent means in order to forcibly acquire more organs to sell and get rich off of.