Should it be legal for healthy adults to sell their organs for transplants?

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8/6/2008 1:13:41 PM

We can't approve it until the bug on taking out extra stands is removed... we don't need "No opinion"... as you know, if people don't have opinions, then they just don't take a stand on an issue.

8/6/2008 1:10:27 PM

sounds good to me...approve it

8/6/2008 12:54:21 PM

 I still agree with Marinazzzzz'z wording

Should it be legal for healthy adults to sell their organs for transplants?

 

8/6/2008 10:06:12 AM

Geoff, your suggested wording limits the debate to the U.S. This is a global issue, for sure.

Hence why marinaz's suggestion might be the best...

Should it be legal for healthy adults to sell their organs for transplants?

8/5/2008 11:47:02 PM

dis shit was a featured debate on NPR's Intelligence Squared . They phrased it this way:

 

Should we legalize the market for human organs?

 

for wis purposes:

 

Should the U.S. legalize the market for human organs?

Six experts in this field take stands on this issue...so it's fair to say that their opinions would count for this wording.

8/5/2008 5:55:31 PM

This is a very interesting topic. I think this version asks the question most directly and succintly.

Should it be legal for healthy adults to sell their organs for transplants?

8/5/2008 1:29:16 PM

 

From an international perspective, I'm not married to consenting, but with regard to this topic, I do think it's an important qualifier, because of the fact that slaves in the international sex and drug trades end up being coerced into selling one of their kidneys to be set free or worse are killed and have a full body harvest performed on their organs.  This is a big issue right now in Russia, Africa and Asia.  Organ harvesting is a thriving business on the black market, and "consenting" qualifies the question as different from seemingly legitimising those black market practices.

I also agree with marinaz's legal qualifier.

8/5/2008 12:27:00 PM

We could do marinaz's suggestion:

Should it be legal for healthy adults to sell their organs for transplants?

OR we could flip it if people feel it might be more relevant:

Should it be legal for people in need of a transplant to purchase organs?

8/5/2008 12:19:13 PM

I think I'd like it as a legal issue: "Should it be legal for healthy adults to sell their organs for transplants?"

(I added "for transplants" because otherwise it sounds a bit sordid!)

 

8/5/2008 9:43:16 AM

Should healthy adults be allowed to sell their organs?

I think we can remove 'consenting'

8/5/2008 9:31:24 AM

Brian, we can't say 'donors' because if they're selling organs, they're not 'donating' them. This isn't about whether organ donors (or their families) should be paid, it's about whether completely healthy people should have the right to sell their organs to people in need (those who are looking to skip the transplant list because they have money).

This is a pretty heavy and important issue, I think.

Lil' Tuffy's wording really hits the heart of the debate, but can we clean up the phrase "consenting, healthy"? I'm blanking on a better suggestion.

8/5/2008 12:21:03 AM

 Should consenting, healthy adults be allowed to sell their organs?

 

8/4/2008 6:53:04 PM

Cool. Let's cut it down and broaden it to non-U.S. citizens.

Should donors be allowed to sell their organs?


We could ask whether it should be legal or not.

8/4/2008 3:52:46 PM

@JZipp

 

I know several public figures' stances on this issue. (Drew Carey,  many economists, a few columnists, and a few organizations)

 

8/1/2008 3:27:15 PM

Great issue. I think we could open this up to organs in general. It's been an ongoing debate.

WebMD

Should Donors Be Able to Sell Organs?

Controversy Surrounds Debate Over Ways to Increase Organ Donors

June 12, 2006 -- Should would-be donors be allowed to sell their organs for money as a way to ease growing waiting lists for transplants?

Some experts think so, and the idea is causing some controversy as policy makers struggle to find ways to cut the number of Americans now dying on transplant waiting lists.

8/1/2008 1:35:24 PM

Here's a little background from Medical News Today:

The growing shortage of kidneys to be used for transplantation has spurred a debate between two specialists that is published in two opinion articles in BMJ. Arthur Matas (Professor of Surgery at the University of Minnesota) argues that a solution to the supply problem lies in a regulated compensation system for living donors. On the other hand, Jeremy Chapman (Center for Transplant and Renal Research in Sydney) warns that a regulated market would result in a reduced supply of all organs.

That seems to hit both sides of this issue... though there might not be a large number of public figures openly debating this...