A Black Market Tragedy or a Life-Saving Legislation

Every year, at least 100,000 people have their names rest on a waiting list while they desperately wait for the news that a kidney has been found to be a match for them. Not only are they placed on this waiting list, but they now must wait upwards of 3-5 years just for a chance at a better life with new kidneys (National Kidney Foundation). If The United States made the selling of one’s organs legal, then there would not only be reduced waiting times but also a decrease in poverty rates, and an inclination to use the black market would dissipate. 

A SHORTENED WAITING LIST 

The waiting time for a transplant varies from organ to organ. What could be as uncomplicated as a 3-month wait could turn into a 5 year-long process of longing for that match. According to the HRSA, there are approximately 100,000 people waiting for a transplant in the United States, and during that waiting time, about 17 people die every day just waiting for a transplant (organdonor.gov). Contrasting, in Iran it is currently legal to sell a kidney for money. They have performed around 30,000 kidney procedures since 1993 using kidneys that were sold for the flat rate they offer in Iran (Bengali, Shashank). A study in Iran proved that there was no advantage or disadvantage to the rich or poor in terms of purchasing an organ (CJASN). In other words, a poor person can have the same chance at getting an organ as a rich person. Someone can donate a kidney, stem cells, a part of a liver, part of a pancreas, or a part of an intestine to those who are in need. This is where it becomes enticing for someone to sell an organ. If people in society knew that they could sell an organ or a part of an organ for their financial benefit and for the benefit of someone who is sick, the waiting timeframe would be much shorter and much more beneficial to the sick. The donor list would rise, causing not only the 100,000 people long waiting list to shorten, but it would also decrease the amount of death there is involving waiting for an organ. 

If families knew that their child or beloved family member was in critical condition, they could ask for an organ with a high payment plan. With waiting lists being so long they have a chance to not wait at all. The higher the payment they are willing to pay, the more likely they are to find a match, allowing them to not have to wait for a match. With that, people will want to know if they can match someone knowing 1-2 million dollars could be given in return. With inflation rates rising, house prices skyrocketing, and student loan debt piling, this is especially attractive to the younger community to not only pull themselves out of a pit of debt but encourage them to help those in need. Attracting the young community also means attracting younger and less stressed organs. Younger organs would be beneficial for a longer-lasting and more promising transplant. 

While there is a chance that someone can get higher up on the waiting list, it is not always likely. “Multiple listing” makes way for people to be listed at more than one hospital. And while the waiting list at other hospitals may be shorter, it does not promise you a higher spot on the waiting list that is nationwide (UNOS). If someone was willing to offer a much higher amount of money for an organ, they could, on their own, bump themselves up on the waiting list. This is especially helpful for critical condition patients who have been given only a small window of time to live. 

PREVENTING POVERTY

According to the national census of 2020, the poverty rate in America was 11.4%. The process of cultivating oneself out of the cavity of poverty is a strenuous and trying task. What if selling a kidney could change the course of not just one person’s life but two persons’ lives? Not only would $100,000 for a kidney alter a sick life for the better but it also would lower the poverty rate tremendously and give way for a second chance on both accounts. On the other hand, if someone could not afford an organ transplant, just as things are the way today, they could find a match for a much lower and much more affordable cost. Someone who is in a much lower financial position could have a chance at a better life through a less expensive transplant. Nasser Simforoosh, the Chairman of the kidney transplant center at a medical center in Tehran said, “Instead of doing something illegal to cover their debts, like stealing or smuggling, they are saving a life first” (Simforoosh). 

DECREASE IN CRIME 

In 2010, over 10,500 organs were sold on the black market (Big Think). Not only is selling an organ through the black market illegal, but it just ends up being a gateway for more crime (The Atlantic). Nadley Hakim, a doctor from London, stated “This trade is going on anyway, why not have a controlled trade where if someone wants to donate a kidney for a particular price, that would be acceptable?” (The Atlantic). America can legalize the selling of organs to protect those who are harmed through the black market and make way for those who benefited from it to continue to be benefited. 

CONCLUSION

While money can’t buy time, it should be able to buy an organ, which for someone who needs a lifesaving organ, it’s essentially the same thing. If it works in Iran, with the medical advancements the American government has already made, Americans can be hopeful that it will work stateside too. With the ability to combat poverty, the ability to shorten the waiting list, and the ability to promote a legal lifestyle, there is no reason to not legalize the selling of organs in America. The black market should no longer be the form by which sold organs should be obtained for those in desperate need of a lifesaving transplant. 

SOURCES 

Bureau, US Census. “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2020.” Census.gov, 18 Oct. 2021, census.gov/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-273.html#:~:text=The%20official%20poverty%20rate%20in,and%20Table%20B%2D4). donors1.org/patients/resources-for-transplant-patients/the-waiting-list/.

Ghods, Ahad J., and Shekoufeh Savaj. “Iranian Model of Paid and Regulated Living-Unrelated Kidney Donation.” American Society of Nephrology, American Society of Nephrology, 1 Nov. 2006, cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/1/6/1136.

“How We Match Organs.” UNOS, 12 Oct. 2021, unos.org/transplant/how-we-match-organs/.

“The Kidney Transplant Waitlist – What You Need to Know.” National Kidney Foundation, 8 Sept. 2021, kidney.org/atoz/content/transplant-waitlist.

Organ Donation Statistics, organdonor.gov/learn/organ-donation-statistics.

“What You Need to Know about Human Organ Trafficking.” Big Think, 30 Sept. 2021, bigthink.com/surprising-science/what-you-need-to-know-about-human-organ-trafficking/.

“Why Legalizing Organ Sales Would Help to Save Lives, End Violence.” Google, Google, google.com/amp/s/amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/248114/. 

Bureau, US Census. “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2020.” Census.gov, 18 Oct. 2021, census.gov/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-273.html#:~:text=The%20official%20poverty%20rate%20in,and%20Table%20B%2D4). 

“The Waiting List: Gift of Life Donor Program.” Gift of Life Donor Program - Saving Lives Through Organ Donation |, 18 Nov. 2020, donors1.org/patients/resources-for-transplant-patients/the-waiting-list/.