Research Paper Example on the Kidney Selling Business

The best hope for long-term survival for anybody with end-stage renal failure is a kidney transplant. Today hundreds of thousands of Americans are waiting to receive kidneys, and more of them are joining the waiting list. It is estimated that about thirteen people in the United States die daily while waiting for a donor. However, the markets in kidneys are illegal. The government has set the legal price of organs at zero dollars which are far away below the equilibrium market price. Supporters of organ sales believe it will save thousands of lives yearly and will help make the poor richer. However, some people think that markets in kidneys would have certain exploitative or undesirable features, but these problems can be addressed by regulating the market efficiently.

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Many people detest the idea of selling kidneys and believe that it is a step backward as a community. In fact, it is offensive to some of them, and they would prefer organ donations to be made completely out of altruism. Research from nations which allow organ-selling such as India, Pakistan, and Iran shows that the living donor experiences lowered quality of life and decreased health afterward. A lot of people who engage in organ selling do so because they require the money, this consequently develops and exploitative relationship. However, studies show that selling an organ doesnt improve the donors living standards or maybe his financial situation (Fisanick). Often, there is minimally informed consent and followed up care to ensure that the donor of the organ knows how to remain healthy for a long term or perhaps to enable the donor to have access to needed health care services and resources.

It is illegal to sell and buy organs in the United States, and the inflexibility of the market can be tough for people who are hooked up to a dialysis machine. The problem, particularly in the US, isnt low supply. On contrary thousands of kidneys could be donated without any risks beyond those of any conventional surgery. Kidney disease is a common among many people and curing it with dialysis is costly and not to mention it is usually efficient for at most a decade. During the previous year, there were approximately seventeen thousand kidney transplants done in the US. It is estimated that about eight thousand people died while waiting for a transplant. As distasteful as it seems to commercialize organs, the current situation is just so disastrous, and I believe the defenders of the status quo should put aside their belief to aid arrive at an option that will not leave thousands of people dead. In the current unregulated system, poor people are exploited. Recent research shows that as of 2010, 1 in every five kidneys transplanted yearly originated in the back market. A lot of people who are trading their organs are poor and live in developing countries, in fact, some of them do so to pay off their debts. A kidney from a living donor will last from twelve to twenty years, on average compared to 8 to twelve years from a deceased donor. Organ transplantation saves lives. Those patients with end-stage kidney disease who get a transplant tend to live longer compared to those who undergo dialysis (Fisanick).

In the US, for instance, there is a shortage of kidneys. Many US citizens opt in deceased donation since purchasing of kidneys violates the United Sates law Moreover, it is prohibited by the international norms. It is also a fact that changes in deceased donation approaches are unlikely to solve this state of kidney shortages. Some lawyers, bioethicist, and physicians have proposed that regulated markets in live donor kidneys be introduced. They claim that many people will be willing to sell their kidneys if the prices are right. However, the question remains are these professional right? Well, the answer depends in part on a moral argument. In the 18th century Immanuel Kant one of the famous philosophers at the time said that we are always obligated to act in a manner that expresses respect for the dignity of humanity. He claimed that everybody no matter where on the spectrum of wealth, happiness and talent have a worth beyond price. The implausibility of these opinions about buying and selling of internal organs shows that the moral permissibility of markets for organs is very complex. According to research done by the WHO, approximately ten thousand black market operations involving human kidneys takes place yearly. Donors in such markets are destitute, and they undergo a lot of physical and psychological harms. A good example is the Bangladeshi kidney vendors; a study shows that most of them after donating their kidneys suffer from hopelessness, crying spells, and grave sadness. They also experience shame, social stigma and also isolation for selling their body parts. Other research done in India shows that approximately 80 percent of the people who sold their kidneys reported a decline in their health after undergoing kidney removal. In my opinion, even if the markets are regulated this process will still have some ethical complications. This is because the existence of such markets is most likely to harm poor people. It is also important to note that there are high chances that regulating markets are not likely to increase the kidney supply (Joralemon 413-414). To support this argument a recent research was done to determine if by offering financial incentives for blood would increase its supply, but on the contrary, it did not make any difference. In general, it remains unclear whether regulating markets would improve supply, but I strongly believe that such markets should often prompt ethical concerns, particularly regarding their effects on the poor.

There would be many opportunities for abuse if the payment for organs were legal no matter the policies in place. In nations where it is legal, the donors often end up with health difficulties and loss of income afterward. On the other hand, in nations where it is illegal, many people die awaiting for donors. Introducing money in this situation will mean that rich recipient candidates could easily buy a kidney whereas the poorer recipient candidates could not. Moreover, it will also mean those people with financial difficulties could be forced to sell their kidneys to get money even if they do not want to. In general, we should always know that every time we offer money for something people need, the situation is likely to be exploited (Joralemon 413-414). Poverty stricken people are likely to be exploited since they are allured with financial gains which in most cases are just short-term financial needs. I believe, selling and buying of organs are a misguided and dangerous game, no matter how straightforward the theorist's calculations seem.

Works Cited

Joralemon, Donald. "Strange Harvest: Organ Transplants, Denatured Bodies, and the Transformed Self:Strange Harvest: Organ Transplants, Denatured Bodies, and the Transformed Self." Medical Anthropology Quarterly 21.4 (2007): 413-14. Web.

Fisanick, Christina. Is Selling Body Parts Ethical?. 1st ed. Detroit, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Print.