A Market For Kidneys
Is it wrong to sell body organs? Would it improve our health care system if we let the free market system take over the organ donation market?
By David Oles | February 24th, 2011
A market exists whenever there is a group of existing or potential buyers and sellers for a certain good or service. Markets are unorganized interactions between these buyers and sellers, and they follow the laws of supply and demand. In the United States, it is illegal to buy and sell kidneys even though there are plenty of prospective sellers as well as a huge number of buyers. It was made illegal by the National Organ Transplant Act passed in 1984.
Currently, in the United States, in order to obtain a kidney for a transplant, a patient is placed on a waiting list with an average wait time of about one year. The only way they can bypass this is if someone such as a relative agrees to donate a kidney directly to them. There are a number of people who donate their kidneys towards the list; however there isn’t much incentive to do so.
In 1999, someone attempted to sell their kidney on eBay; however the bidding was stopped by the company after reaching a price of $5.7 million. Ignoring ethical issues, a free market in kidneys would be beneficial to society as a whole. Currently the supply of kidneys is very low while the demand is very high, so based on the law of supply and demand the price of a kidney is very steep. Many people, including myself, would be more than willing to sell their kidney for upwards of several million dollars. However, if this kidney trade was made legal, the price of a kidney would reach a reasonable price which would be fair for both the buyer and the seller. The people who want to sell their kidney for several million dollars probably wouldn’t be the sellers in this type of market. Instead, the market would comprise of sellers who want to help someone by giving their kidney but want some sort of compensation for their deed. People charging ridiculous prices for their kidneys would be unable to sell them when others were offering much more reasonable prices. In this way, people in need of transplants would benefit greatly from a much bigger pool of available kidneys, while those in need of extra money would be able to give up a kidney and better their standard of living. With a free market in kidneys, it would make sense that the transplant process would become cheaper as well with new innovation to deal with the larger number of transplants.
One argument against a market in organs is that it would be unfair to the poor. However, one must consider the non-monetary price that one pays in order to obtain a kidney in the current system. While it may not cost the person anything to get the kidney, the wait time of over a year carries a heavy price. In fact, some people waiting for a kidney never live to see it. In my opinion, this is a much higher price to pay than some monetary amount.
In order for a market like this to be fair and functional it would need certain restrictions, just like with any other market dealing with dangerous goods. For instance, a person who wants to donate a kidney should undergo some course on the risks that may arise from their sale. In this way, less educated people who want to sell a kidney would not be exploited. Also, sufficient care should be offered to the donor following the sale to ensure their safety. As long as a person knows what risks they are undertaking, they should be allowed to follow through with their decision to sell their kidney. Such a market would solve many problems that are present in today’s system.
Some of the ethical issues concerning the sale of organs would be diminished with a carefully arranged system in which the buyers and sellers are educated and given sufficient care. Despite other ethical issues, the overall positive effects this market would have would outweigh any other problems. Many lives would be saved in the process and so, in my opinion, I believe that selling kidneys should be legalized as long as certain restrictions are placed on the market.
