Importance Of Organ Sales

A market in organs for purposes of transplant can be morally justified. The following will address this statement as true for those organs considered non-vital. First, eight arguments in favor of prohibition of organ sales will be critically assessed, followed by a support of organ sales.

The first argument against organ sales is that the poor will be exploited by the rich. This statement is concerned with the harm caused to vendors; however, vendors are anxious to sell and prohibition harms both vendors and recipients. The proponent of prohibition would respond by appealing to autonomy. First, that the vendor’s choice is illusory - when someone’s choices are limited because they are coerced by their economic circumstance, then they really have no genuine choice at all. Second, the vendor may lack the education to understand the risks and thus provide valid informed consent.

These two counterarguments are misguided. The first outlines the issue of restricted range of choices for the vendor. Removing the choice of selling one’s non-vital organs means restricting their range of options even further. The only way to improve this issue is to lessen poverty so that organ selling ceases to be a reasonable option; in which case, prohibition will no longer be an issue because the incentive becomes unappealing.

The second is not an argument for prohibition but rather one for the need of education and counselling. If vendors are obligated to undergo such measures, then they will not be making the decision without informed consent.

The second argument: the risk of organ sales is too great and money does not justify such risk. The more destitute the vendor, the more benefit the vendor will garner from organ sales. The rich are allowe...

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... organ as a means of selling one’s body, and the sale of one’s body through risky labor. Firefighters for example, risk their lives when they enter burning buildings to save others. It is less risky for a father to sell his kidney in order to pay for a lifesaving operation for his daughter, yet the outcome is the same – one person risking their body to save another life.

In conclusion, the claims in favor of prohibition of organ sales are often faulty in logic and fail to address the moral impermissibility of organ sales. They seem to rely more on the grotesque notion of selling a human organ, but it is important to assess the action logically rather than emotionally. Furthermore, the sale of non-vital organs should be permitted as there is a great benefit to society, it is logically and morally justified, and it is consistent with the notion of personal autonomy.