> Also, organs might be removed before people are > really dead You mean like that scene in Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life"? ;-)
Personally I would be less concerned about the nearly dead in U.S. hospitals than I would be about third world street urchins. An enterprising organization could certainly profit from importing their organs, I suppose. Leaving the truly poor out of this, it seems like a net benefit. If I were essentially terminally ill I would probably choose to sell my organs for the benefit of my loved ones (and cut my lingering death) rather than pursue expensive medical treatments that just pull resources away from those who can actually be helped. Or do you think I'm way off base? -jsh --- "Robert A. Book" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > This topic seems to be near-and-dear to the "heart" > of free-market > economists everywhere.... > > It seems the U.S. might actually allow the sale of > human organs for > transplant in the near future. This raises some > interesting issues. > On the one hand, obviously we should expect the > quantity of organs > supplied to increase if payment is allowed, and this > is clearly good > for recipients who are willing to pay. The story is > at: > > http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=594&u=/nm/20020214/hl_nm/wannabuyanorgan_1 > > > (I'm appending the text below.) > > On the other hand, there are some disturbing > "agency" issues involved. > For example, family members expecting payment for > organs might > authorize less-aggressive medical treatment than the > patient might > prefer, at a time when the patient may not be able > to speak for > him/herself. Essentially, this would be people > "stealing" the organs > when the "owner" is unable to prevent theft. This > is probably already > a problem for people with large estates and > relatives who like money > more than people; alloing organ sales will expand > this problem to more > people. > ; after > all, if there is profit in declaring people dead, > there will be more > erring on the side of declaring death in cases where > there is room for > debate. This is already a problem with > organ-donation of the type > authorized on driver's licenses; allowing payment > will simply expand > the class of people with such motivation to include > relatives as well > as doctors, and will increase the overall incentive > to declare people > dead. > > So, despite the fact that I am generally a > free-market advocate, I > think allowing this particular market raises all > sorts of complicated > ethical issues which can be boiled down to "property > rights" issues -- > in other words, who owns a person's organs? That > person, or his/her > relatives? Who owns a person's life, in the sense > of having the right > to declare someone dead in questionable cases, > and/or authorize > treatment in questionable cases? If I write an > advance directive that > says I want all possible extreme measures to save my > life, can someone > else over-ride that, let me die, and then sell my > organs for profit? > > > > --Robert Book [EMAIL PROTECTED] > University of Chicago > > > ============================================================ > > http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=594&u=/nm/20020214/hl_nm/wannabuyanorgan_1 > > > > Doctors, Government May Allow Payment > for Organs > Thu Feb 14,10:18 AM ET > > NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The medical community > and the federal > government are edging closer to allowing payment for > body parts needed > for transplants, the Wall Street Journal reported on > Thursday. > > Such compensation was outlawed by Congress in 1984, > but with 79,000 > people awaiting transplants, a committee of the > American Medical > Association has begun designing a pilot program to > test the effects of > various motivators, including payments for organ > donations from > cadavers, the Journal said. > > The committee, the AMA's influential Council on > Ethical and Judicial > Affairs, is already convinced that any moral > concerns about payments > for organs are outweighed by the needs of patients, > the Journal said. > > The AMA's governing house of delegates is slated to > vote on whether to > support such a pilot in June, the Journal said. > > An advisory committee to US Health and Human > Services (news - web > sites) Secretary Tommy Thompson is also considering > whether to > recommend that the ban on payments be lifted for > organs from cadavers > and live donors as a way to alleviate the organ > shortage, the Journal > said. > > The American Society of Transplant Surgeons has > already endorsed > payment for cadaveric organs to the families of the > deceased, the > Journal said. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Sports - Coverage of the 2002 Olympic Games http://sports.yahoo.com
