Whether Organ Selling Should Be Legal

Regarding the discussion of organ market, I don’t think people should be permitted to sell their organs. Not only because it would be hard to actually organize and run such a market, but also because, more importantly, even if the market would run itself perfectly, the idea of organ trading challenges the value and moral ideal that’s closely correlated with organs themselves.

First off, from market running standpoint, it wouldn’t be morally acceptable to arbitrarily put a dollar value onto organs. As discussed during the first class, certain things are “sacred” and cannot be mistaken with secular objects. Organs, as part of the human body, belong to the former category.

Secondly, even if we price the organ based on supply demand rule, under which whoever pays the highest price gets the organ, this brings out the objection of fairness. Since now that whoever has more money can get earlier access to kidney and thus higher chance of living a longer life, it’s implying that life discriminates the poor and favors the rich. In the extreme case, the poor might be unwillingly forced to sell their organ so they can get money, which is a further deprivation of their right of living.

Thirdly, even if we disregard all the above values and ideas correlated with organs themselves, the existence of organ trading market could actually diminish the market itself, by way of crowding out non-market values and thus, in the market term, leading to fewer “supply” of organs. Initially people would agree to donate their organ for the cause of saving life and great love for the human being. However, by creating a market and making it tradable as a product, we are potentially introducing this dominant market value and crowding out the initial non-market value that could have encouraged people to donate more on a consent base. Market value can be one strong motivator to persuade people to donate organs, but can be a weak means when it’s compared to values or ideals.

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