Compensation for Live Organ Donors - 1974 Words

Compensation for Live Organ Donors HU 280 – Bioethics February, 19, 2012 Compensation for Live Organ Donors Currently, there are over 100,000 people on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) waiting list for organ transplantation (2012, Transplant Trends). Only 26, 246 transplantations occurred between January and November of 2011, (UNOS, 2012, Transplant Trends). There is a huge contrast in the number of people needing organs and the number of organs actually available for transplantation. This lack of organs creates a serious dilemma regarding how to increase the supply of organs for transplantation. So far, many of the efforts to increase organ donation have focused on the procurement from deceased donors;†¦show more content†¦It does not seem right that an organ donor should be expected to risk their health and life with absolutely no consideration afforded to the potential consequences that may be inflicted upon the donor. Considering all of the risks a donor must take on, it only seems fair to provide some sort of compensation for their actions. Justice theory focuses on the rights persons are entitled to, while also taking into considerations the duties imposed on persons in society (Parks, 2010, p. 10). Duties are the actions that are required of citizens living within a community as part of their social contract (Parks, 2010, p. 10). Although being altruistic and donating an organ to another human being is the current process utilized for obtaining organs, it is not necessarily a citizen’s duty to do so. Since donating organs is not a duty that citizens must uphold, it only makes sense that these persons should be compensated for their actions. The current process of altruism may actually inhibit those who would otherwise donate if some sort of compensation was offered. Not everyone can afford to miss 1-2 months of work, develop debilitating health concerns, or run the risk of losing health insurance. These issues are easily overlooked when donating to a relative, but sometimes even having a relative in need is not enough. Consider the following example: A potential donor has a sister in need of an organ, but that donor is also a single mother raising aShow MoreRelatedPersuasive Essay On Organ Donation1371 Words   |  6 PagesOrgans found on the black market are often taken from the body of an unwilling victim. People going about their business abducted and violated to make some extra cash, which could be obtained legally if compensation for donors were legal. In 2005, about one thousand two hundred people died waiting for a kidney transplant, something that could have been prevented if only there wasn’t an organ shortage. 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