Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Incentives to Increase the Rate of Organ Donations from the Living: A Moral Exploration

This paper examines the morality of schemes of payment to live donors/sellers of organs for transplantation. Following empirical and historical evidence, it is argued that consent to sell organs is substantially different from consent to ordinary business transactions and that legalization of exchan...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Michael Y. Barilan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Rambam Health Care Campus 2011-04-01
Series:Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:http://rmmj.org.il/(S(fj42v4lvhi00ond1zq4lvavr))/Pages/ArticleHTM.aspx?manuId=105
Description
Summary:This paper examines the morality of schemes of payment to live donors/sellers of organs for transplantation. Following empirical and historical evidence, it is argued that consent to sell organs is substantially different from consent to ordinary business transactions and that legalization of exchanges of organs with financial benefits deviates significantly from the scope of liberal toleration and liberal conceptions of human rights. Although altruistic giving is commendable, it is immoral for society to benefit from them without conferring to the donors benefits such as health and nursing insurance for life. Non-alienable and non-fungible benefits of this kind are moral as incentives to organ donation/giving.
ISSN:2076-9172