A Free Market in Body Organs

I write a twice-monthly column for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Here’s my latest; it’s the first in a series in which I make the case for a free market in transplantable human body organs. In other words, I argue in favor of allowing adults to receive whatever prices they negotiate for whatever of their organs they […]

I write a twice-monthly column for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Here’s my latest; it’s the first in a series in which I make the case for a free market in transplantable human body organs. In other words, I argue in favor of allowing adults to receive whatever prices they negotiate for whatever of their organs they choose to donate.

3 Comments

  • As long as bankruptcy and divorce courts can’t consider your organs as assets…

  • This is ridiculous. Where would you draw the line? These rules are humanitarian in nature. Selling a kidney might not sound like a big deal, but the poor are going to be the most likely to be forced into these kind of markets. Would you really approve of a market that allowed impoverished mothers to donate their body parts to feed their starving children? I sure hope not. What if we weren’t talking about kidneys. What about an arm or a leg? Would you really want to live in a country in which the poor citizens’ highest earning potential was to serve as a bodyfarm for the richest members of society? This article provides a best-case scenario and is not a reflection of the issues that prevent such a market from being created.

  • Gee, I thought the threat of identity theft was bad enough …