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[umiman]

Would you sell a kidney if you were perfectly healthy? Or more importantly, do you think it's fine for other people to sell their kidneys?

Before you go on a tirade, hear me out. I'm not actually taking a stance here. I'm far more curious in knowing the competent opinions of some of the forumites. For example, in Australia there are only 9.3 organ donors per 1 million people. That seriously sucks if you really need that kidney in Australia. What people end up doing is going overseas and buying kidneys on the black market for unsafe operations in places like Pakistan, paying around $30 000 for a kidney. There are no controls there, no one knows where the organs came from, and whether you would even survive with the organ.

I'm not a doctor. Not even close. I have no clue how important a kidney is other than you have two and people can survive with just one. If the government could set up a program to allow people to sell one of their kidneys for $50 000, do you think it would be a good thing? Of course, for this argument, we assume that the government is perfect in every way. Sounds retarded, but it would be futile arguing about how the government would screw up somehow. So let's focus on the moral and ethical choice of selling a kidney and not the capability of government.

In short: which is more important? The problems that come from being able to sell bits of yourself or the potential amount of lives that could be saved?

[Cthulhu]

If the person is healthy enough to survive losing a kidney, and doesn't have anything that would complicate it for a recipient, I don't see a problem.  They'd have to be well-warned about the whole "This is major surgery and could totally kill you" thing, but yeah.  Go for it.

[atomicwinter]

It could save millions of lives. I think its crazy that its illegal.

[Realmfighter]

I don't care either way.

[umiman]

I think $50 000 is way too much though... Another question would be how much a kidney would be worth.

Uhh... I'd say... I would sell mine for $15 000 probably, though I'd have to do a lot research to learn the drawbacks before actually committing,

[Ampersand]

Renal failure is a leading cause of death in America. You do NOT want to have less than two if you can help it.

[chaoticag]

Kidneys should be sold, or at least donated upon death. It is currently illegal here to do so, but more than enough motorists die each year to get everyone off of dialisis machines in the entire country. People end up getting their organs illegally through China and India.

I think Saudia Arabia may allow it, but that was only because their king almost died when it was illegal.

[ChairmanPoo]

In Iran it works like that. Sort of. Basically, if you donate a kidney, you get a state pension. It is the only way to get transplants there, too. Corpse grafts are illegal.


Quite frankly, I regard it as highly illegal and immoral. A way to use the havnots as organ banks for the wealthy.

[Satarus]

I think forcing someone to give up their organs is wrong for several ethical reasons.  First off it creates a conflict of interests in the state.  They have an interest in keeping their populace safe and healthy, but in doing so they have an interest in allowing people to die so they can harvest their organs.  Plus people should have the right to their own bodies and that includes burial wishes such as being buried whole.

As for me.  I don't care what gets done with my body after my death.  If I can save lives after my death that would be great.  I won't be using my body anymore, so let a needy person get it.

[Nirur Torir]

I don't like the idea of it being legal, mostly because people would find a way to force other people to sell their organs, as a new form of mugging. Something akin to: "Sell a kidney and leave the $15,000 in that tree Wednesday night or your entire family will be tortured to death over the next month. Their organs will then be harvested and sold."

Edit - Well, it would be easier if hospitals did it for people. Upon careful thought, I'm a bit surprised we don't hear more about serial killings for organ harvesting.

[Neonivek]

I wouldn't sell your Kidney if I were you.

Beyond the fact that I've heard bad things about having one kidney (it isn't as "Covered by the other kidney" as it would seem. Like having one lung)

Your basically surviving off of luck later in your life.

[chaoticag]

My chem teacher says that you don't even need much of a kidney to function, I think it was 1/12 or an 1/8th of your kidney is what you need to survive.

Besides, annecdotal evidence doesn't mean much, and people who sell their kidneys ought to know what they are getting into. I prefer donar ship though, less chance that an idiot will sell his kidney then drink the money away.

[Neonivek]

I am not speaking about the legality of selling kidneys

I am mostly saying: Don't sell your Kidneys while still alive.

I mean the topic creator pretty much only listed half the requirements: "If you were perfectly healthy" when the other half of the requirements are "If you would always be perfectly healthy"

[umiman]

Nirur Torir: Perhaps you are unaware of the many, many organized crime groups which focus on organ harvesting from dead and live people?

Satarus: It's not a matter of forcing anyone. No one is forced to do anything.

Let's see... according to this: http://www.lifeoptions.org/kidneyinfo/ckdinfo.php

If so, you may be one of the estimated 8.2 million people in the United States who are at risk for moderate to severe chronic kidney disease or kidney failure.

According to Wikipedia, the population of the US is 307 million. So, you've got a 0.2% chance of being at risk for kidney problems. Which basically means 2 out of 1000 people have a chance of being at risk of kidney problems.

I wonder what that number would be if everyone in the US only had one kidney.

[Cthulhu]

Assuming everyone in the country did it.  It seems tempting, but look at all the hoops you have to jump through to donate sperm.  You'd need to be in prime condition if you wanted a hospital to buy your organs, and when it comes down to it, I don't think there are that many people willing to get cut open and have body parts removed for a few thousand dollars.