Organs for sale?

San Francisco Chronicle | 12/29/01 | David R. Henderson

[Bikers4Bush]

That may be but I'm more concerned about living donors and the fact that the person who donated your new heart did so instead of selling it is a tribute to them.

I'm curious to know how you would feel about it if it was a situation where you're new heart was up for bid and your insurance company lost the bid to someone else's insurance company or the other persons insurance was willing to pay more.

The reality is that if you start selling organs then you have to let value be determined by the free market and we'd all lose out to the Saudis.

I hope that you and your new heart are getting along well.

[Bikers4Bush]

Then you're not selling them but trading them in.

[Bikers4Bush]

And like I said in another post I'm primarily concerned with the living donor theory.

[Fish out of Water]

If you believe in the free market and look into its operation you find that it increases supply and decreases price. Since food is essential for life why not have Government supply it so that the rich don’t bid the price up and out of reach of the rest of us. The result of this organ program would be to increase the supply thereby benefiting many more people than the current system.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Ever read any of Larry Niven's "Tales of Known Space"?
In his future society, before the discovery of a booster spice to prolong life indefinitely, the market for organs was so large and under-supplied that convicted criminals that had been given a death sentence were used for organ donation. It eventually got so out of hand that the penalty for jaywalking was escalated to...death.

[boothead]

Organs for sale?

Bill Clinton is looking for a new nose. Willard is looking for a straight .......well! you know what he's looking for

[GussiedUp]

LOL You just HAD to do it!!! ha ha

[Magician]

"...criminals that had been given a death sentence were used for organ donation..."

No one likes executions. Maybe a sentence of "organ donation" would be more appealing to the anti-death penalty crowd.

/sarcasm

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

"Maybe a sentence of "organ donation" would be more appealing to the anti-death penalty crowd. "

Aw there ya go gettin' all PC on me. Blech!
Maybe the anti-death penalty crowd should be careful not to get ticketed for jay-walking. (In Niven's universe, that is.) =;^)

[LibKill]

There was an episode of 'The Simpsons' in which Homer sank all his money in pumpkin futures. He did not try to sell them until after Thanksgiving and lost every cent.

Confronted with his house payment;

"Wait, wait! I can do this. I will sell one of my livers.
I can live on just one!" :)

[Teacher317]

Well, this would open a big can of worms... maybe if it were only posthumous?

[coloradan]

Oh my heavens! It's true!! Organs for sale!!

[Bikers4Bush]

Two points. 1.) Everyone needs food not everyone needs and organ transplant. 2.) There aren't a large number of people with religious objections to eating. There are however a large number of people with religious objections to donating their organs and those people aren't going to change their minds because you dangle cash in front of them.

Once you start paying for organs costs will go up, "prices" will go up and some POS lawyer will find a way to circumvent a persons right to NOT have their organs removed and sold.

If you want to increase donations then you have to educate AND get the church involved. Organs should not become commodoties.