Kidney Donation Ethics

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Recommended: Ethical issues surrounding organ donation

The commercialization of human body parts has been, over time, on the upward trend. Kidney failure being relatively on the rise, more and more people have a need and desire to boost their lives by kidney transplants. Since the human body can function effectively with one kidney, some people do not mind donating their kidneys for some consideration. However, does this not break the ethics code? Is it not reducing human dignity to monetary terms by placing a price tag on human body part? As the essay questions the morality and the ethics of this practice, the idea of black market kidney donations arise which is evidence of clear commercialization of the human life and exploitation of the poor.
In a paper published in 1988 by the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics addressing the ethical and moral issues in kidney transplant, the paper addressed moral concerns about a possible concern about a potential and highly possible market for human body part. Before long, the paper had its undesired effect. Schulman notes that “Many people sent emails inquiring on how they would donate their kidneys. I would like more information about it and how I could sell one of my kidneys to your university because I really need money.” They had ranging reasons as to why they wished to donate their kidneys. Some wanted to use the …show more content…

Just to enumerate a few facts about the dire need for kidneys, a look at the United States might cast a clear picture. As of March 6, the people who were on a waiting list for an organ transplant stood at 113, 143 with the majority waiting for a kidney transplant, 91, 015. In addition, in the year 2011, the US witnessed about 15,417 kidney transplants of which a significant 5,232 was from living donors. One of the critical questions should ask him or herself is, did this people voluntarily and without any undue economic coercion agree to donate their kidney? The answer is probably in the

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