Lifting the Price on Human Life

How nonfinancial donor compensation could eradicate the organ trade

Abstract

The increasing number of patients in need of organ
transplantation has fostered the growth of an international
black market in which the wealthy purchase kidneys, liver,
or other tissue from vulnerable persons. Oftentimes, victims
endure substandard care and are forced to consent to lifethreatening procedures for little to no compensation. Since voluntary donation alone is unable to reconcile supply with demand, more economically developed countries have begun to experiment with reimbursing donors for incurred expenses and creating procedural barriers for those who would prefer to opt out of post-mortem donation.1 However, poverty can be equally as problematic as the shortage of organs itself. In this regard, the ideal solution should eliminate the initial need for people to donate out of desperation. After relating the organ trade to issues of substandard care and criminal exploitation, it becomes evident that nonfinancial donor compensation, in the form of housing, tuition, insurance, or employment, could be an effective means of suppressing the illegal organ market
and restoring basic rights to disadvantaged donors.