Why We Need A Free Market For Organ Donation
Mark Perry highlights this depressing chart showing a rise in demand for kidney donations (thanks in large part to advancements in organ transplant techniques) while supply of said donations stagnates:
When you look at this chart, don’t just see lines and numbers. See hundreds of thousands of sick but curable people suffering and dying for want of a transplant. In 2011, just one kidney transplant operation was performed for every 5.4 patients who needed one.
It’s tragic, but there is something we could do to dramatically increase the number of organs (including kidneys) available for donation: Amend the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984 so that people who choose to donate their organs can receive some form of compensation for it. Even something short of outright cash payments for organs, something akin to a tax deduction, would go a long way toward easing some of this suffering. I’d prefer a truly free market, rather than further junking up our tax code, but at this point I’ll take whatever we can get in terms of a move toward making more organs available for transplant.
People often talk about the immorality of selling organs. They talk of rich sick people bribing the poor-but-healthy into donating their organs. I don’t think those scary fairy tales have much grounding in truth, and as to morality, where is the morality in letting so many people suffer when so much help could be available?
The government’s suppression of the organ donation market is hurting people. It’s time to stop it.
Tags: free markets, organ donation
