ENG-106DefinitionArgumentOrganSales051723
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Organ Sales: Is financial compensation ethical?
Amy L. Laetzsch
Department of Psychology, Grand Canyon University
ENG-106-O500: English Composition II
Professor Lori Heredia
May 17, 2023
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Organ Sales: Is financial compensation ethical?
The National Organ Transplant Act made it a crime to buy and sell organs (Mueller,
1988). One reason that congress made this law was to make sure that the wealthy did not have an
unfair advantage in purchasing donated organs or tissues. The decision of whether one wishes to
sell their organs and receive financial compensation should be left up to the individuals. This is
not an exploitation of the poor if they become motivated to give of themselves to help or save
another and in turn relieve their own financial burdens.
Organ sales is ethical because there are
those willing to pay for it to
those who are willing to give, it should be a basic human right, and
we have free will to do so to help others.
In order to determine if giving financial compensation for the gift of an organ or tissue is
ethical, one must first determine what compensation is and if it aligns with human ethics in
regard to organ sales. To examine the criteria if compensation is ethical, one must first define
what compensation is (Aldon et al., 2022). Compensation is defined as the giving of something,
which is more times than not, money for the person’s loss or suffering. The donation of organs
and tissues is the result of some type of loss or suffering and is deserving of compensation for the
giving
of such a gift. The ethical standards of the giving of money when a person donates organ
or tissue can be determined by looking into the criteria of compensation and what it means to
compensate a person in this matter as well as if basic human rights apply along with having the
free will to do so.
Everyone has basic human rights and deserves compensation for the experience of being
less than whole. According to Huminuik et al., (2022) human rights are described as
fundamental
necessary freedoms for all human beings that cannot be taken away by any other
human being. The Declaration of Independence (1776) states, “
....
that all men are created equal,
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that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” This relays that every person has a basic right to
health and happiness. This aligns perfectly with compensating a person for the giving of organs
or tissue. One is receiving life, health, and happiness as the other is unburdened financially
which brings one to the pursuit of happiness.
An article by Zahra Khazaei, free will was described as, “Free will means our choices
and actions are up to us.” (Zahra Khazaei, 2021, p.3). Free will is having the ability to decide and
act for ourselves.
If it is up to the individual
and
as individuals having thoughts dealing with
giving up a part of one's body, then receiving financial compensation for doing so is in fact an act
of free will. If one decides to give a liver to help save another and receive compensation for the
selfless act, then this situation can be beneficial to all individuals involved. The act of giving and
the act of receiving is of one’s own free will to decide.
Shearmur, J. (2008) put it best when he said that it may be an
unfortunate situation to sell
one's organ, but it is far worse for a person to have to die because there are no regulations in
place for motivations like financial compensation. If it is a human right to be compensated for an
injury, then there should be compensation for the giving of something so precious as an organ or
tissue. The act of freely receiving or giving of
financial compensation for an organ or tissue is a
basic human right. Allowing one to die because it is illegal or for another to suffer because of the
Black Market, is taking away an individual's
basic human right to health and happiness.
It is
ethical to sell organs because there are those willing to give to those willing to pay, it is a human
right, and those who want to help others have the free will to do so.
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References
Alden, A., Lopez, A.M., Bamba, P., Nipp, M.B., Skeen, T., Smith, V., Staples, B., & Van Lieu, S.
(2022).
Finding Purpose Through Argumentative Writing
. Grand Canyon University.
Huminuik, K., O’Connor, M., Dockett, K., Kallivayalil, D. J., McFarland, S. G., & Wyndham, J.
M. (2022). Moving human rights to the forefront of psychology: Summary of the final
report of the APA task force on human rights.
American Psychologist, 77
(4), 589–601.
https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1037/amp0000897
Mueller, K. J. (1988). The National Organ Transplant Act of 1984: Congressional Response to
Changing Biotechnology.
Policy Studies Review, 8
(2), 346–356.
https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/j.1541-1338.1988.tb01106.x
Shearmur, J. (2008). The Real Body Shop, Part 2: Spare Parts.
Policy,
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(1), 25–29
https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=bth&AN=31612702&site=eds-
live&scope=site&custid=s8333196&groupid=main&profile=eds1
Zahra Khazaei. (2021). The Free Agent, Luck, and Character.
Pizhūhish/Hā-Yi Falsafī-
Kalāmī, 23
(3), 173–192.
https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.22091/jptr.2021.6655.2583