Is paid organ donation a good idea?

[Rubiks]

I thought this idea was interesting after hearing it. Do you think paying people to donate blood or organs is a good idea?

 

[Soyeong]

If I recall correctly, there was a study that showed that blood donations actually decreased after they started offering money for them. The problem with paying for organs is that it creates a market for them and incentive for unethical people to take organs by force. A friend was telling me about a movie called Repo! The Genetic Opera in which "a worldwide epidemic encourages a biotech company to launch an organ-financing program similar in nature to a standard car loan. The repossession clause is a killer, however." Sadly, I don't see that as being that far off.

 

[seeking.IAM]

Never mind. I opened the thread because I thought your were considering donation to your church's new organ. Oops.

 

[Hank77]

Organs for sale.

Two men need a heart transplant.
Patient 1 is 65 years old, smokes, is a heavy drinker, but can afford to buy a heart
Patient 2 is 32 years old, non-smoker, has an occasional drink, born with a heart defect, has a young family, but cannot afford to buy a heart

Organs should never become a commodity.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Freakonomics did an episode a couple years ago about Al Roth, the Nobel-winning economist who did work on designing markets where money wasn't the only factor (or even a factor at all) in driving transactions. One of the applications of his work is in a national kidney exchange that incentivizes donations without payments.

Make Me a Match: A New Freakonomics Radio Episode - Freakonomics

 

[Mountainmanbob]

Some poor people in poor countries sell their extra body parts. I wish to try to keep everything that God has given to me. Of course for a friend or family member who knows.

M-Bob