With the growing research and technology, it is substantial to claim that organ transplantation has become more common than before. Kidney, being the most donated body organ, has attracted several debates, with the proponents of this idea supporting the notion and the opponents defying the practice. The main reason for discovering the possibility of a kidney transplant was to help the patients who had malfunctioning kidneys; something that has today been commercialized (Goodman). Whereas people are allowed to donate their organs such as kidneys to support the needy, I believe this donation should be free.
The main reason for outlawing the commercialization of kidney donation is to safeguard the dignity and autonomy of the poor (Brennan). In most instances, kidney donors are usually the poor, who are easily lured with small ‘tokens of appreciation’ for their offer. According to Yanklowitz, the majority sacrifice their kidneys, not because of their self-drive to save other lives but for the reason of getting money to provide for their families; something that is against ethics and moral standings.
Besides, donating a kidney for money should be illegalized since it puts the safety of the donors at risk. Research conducted by Knox indicated that many donors are not informed of the dangers of taking part in this process. Moreover, people who go to donate their kidneys for money also have a prejudgment of giving it away regardless of the outcome, which puts the lives of many at risk (Knox).
Finally, yet importantly, giving people money to donate their kidney to save needy patients is against medical ethics (Gregory). The issue of commercializing this procedure is not just unfair to the poor donors who do it to get money but is also unjust to the poor patient who cannot afford kidney transplant because of insufficient cash to buy another kidney for transplant (Berezow). Hence, should be discouraged.
Concisely, it is credible to reaffirm that kidney donation should not be made for money but for saving people who are in need of the procedure. Therefore, the government and other health stakeholders should work together to ensure that commercialization of kidney donation is discouraged.
Works Cited
Berezow, Alex. "Organ Trafficking: Is Selling My Kidney Really Such A Bad Thing?" 10 Feb. 2017, www.acsh.org/news/2017/02/10/organ-trafficking-selling-my-kidney-really-such-bad-thing-10856.
Brennan, Jason. "Black Markets Kill." Should People Be Allowed to Sell Their Own Organs?, 15 Dec. 2015, panampost.com/editor/2015/09/16/should-people-be-allowed-to-sell-their-own-organs/?cn-reloaded=1"cn-reloaded=1. Accessed 4 Dec. 2018.
Goodman, John C. "Should You Be Able To Sell Your Kidney?" 18 Aug. 2014,
Gregory, Anthony. "Why legalizing organ sales would help to save lives, end violence." The Atlantic (2011).
Knox, Richard. "Should We Legalize the Market for Human Organs?" 21 May 2008, Accessed 4 Dec. 2018.
Yanklowitz , Shmuly. “Give a Kidney, Get a Check”. The Atlantic (2015).
