Organ Donation

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take a look at the current process of procuring organs for transplantation. It will also explore technology on the horizon and alternates to donation. The waiting list for transplant surgery far exceeds the current supply. Black Market organ trade in this, as well in foreign countries is alive and well. Donation is not able to keep up with demand. We have to take measures to ensure those in the most need are taken care of. We already allow people to sell eggs, sperm and blood why not other organs? I will attempt to show you that compensation for organs could reduce the time on the donor waiting list, lower crime rate by eliminating the need for a black market, and in general improve the quality of life for thousands of ill people. In the future we may have the technology to produce artificial organs for transplant.

Keyword: UNOS, United Network for Organ Sharing

According to OrganDonor.gov, there are over 108,000 people waiting for an organ transplant. The demand for donation far exceeds the supply. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that the donor waiting list has doubled in the last 10years (Clemmons, 2009). Why then are we not doing more to solve this problem? There are some alternatives to donation. Alternatives include, Therapeutic Cloning, Xenotransplation, selling of organs, and atrificial organs in the future.

Organ donation is the only legal way to procure an organ for transplant. The problem is that not enough people are willing to donate either in death, or by live donation. Live donation is not without issues. Unfortunately in some instances the donor develops complications during their lifetime. Another issue is the donor may actually lose money by donating. A donor...

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... to manufacture artificial organs. But with that comes a price. If we treat the organs as commodities would the organs also be subject to repossession? New ethical and moral issues arise with advancement in technology.

The U.S. is in crisis. The demand for organs far out numbers the number of available donor organs. We need to take steps to ensure people are not exploited for their organs. Through technology advancements we may someday be able to eliminate the problem. But in the mean time we should consider the resource we already have. If we legalized compensation for all organs not just eggs, sperm and blood we could make a huge dent in the organ waiting list. Legalizing organ sale would drive the black markets out of business. If we choose to legalize the organ trade or not, need to maintain distributive justice in the allocation of any available organ.

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