Every day, 17 Americans die of organ failure. In Israel, the average wait for a kidney transplant is four years. In response, a global gray market has bloomed. In India, for example, poor sellers are quickly matched with sick buyers from Taiwan. Critics call it “transplant tourism.” Proponents say the market is meeting a need.The Monitor follows three men: an unemployed Brazilian and an ailing Israeli, as well as a South African investigator who helped bust an organ-trafficking ring.
The case raises anew hard legal and ethical questions, such as: Who owns our bodies? Should it be illegal to sell an organ if it could save someone’s life? What is the government’s role in protecting two vulnerable groups – the poor, who are willingly exploited, and the sick, who are desperate for healing?
Although it was published over a year ago, the article is still just as prescient today as when it was written. Note: the Mises Institute does not buy, sell, trade or in any way exchange organs.
One alternative is LifeSharers which is a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to assisting those in need of organs – as detailed by Stephanie Murphy. Another option is that of MatchingDonors.com which helps pair up living donors/patients via an online database.
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