Sale And Sale Of Human Organs - 1627 Words

In this essay, I will argue that the establishment of a market for the sale and purchase of human organs would be morally unjustified. For the purposes of this paper, my argument will allow for the term â€Å"market† to be used in its literal, physical sense, as describing a public location for commercial interaction, as well as in reference to the concept of â€Å"the market† in regards to a general domain of economic activity, in this case involving organ selling. In such a manner, we can avoid possible contention regarding what could constitute a market for human organs—such a concept could involve anything from a traveling mini-store within a van, to a freestanding shop, to an international firm that operates electronically as a web site, etc.†¦show more content†¦Organ donation is generally understood to be closely related to organ transplantation, which virtually always is a greatly beneficial operation for those in medical need of it (Streat 383) . Therefore, I can understand supporters of a human organ market championing the idea that an organ market, by serving as an additional source of organs, is morally worthy due to its ability to improve people’s chances for getting an organ transplant. However, this line of reasoning is problematic because organ donation and organ transplantation are not the same thing. The concept in question is a commercial venue for organ sale and purchase, not a commercial venue for organ transplantation, so the â€Å"service to patients in need† claim, however well intentioned, is misguided. Proponents might then say that an organ market may indirectly facilitate organ transplantation by simply being a source of organs. This is indeed possible, but alas, even if the establishment of the human organ market caused a lavish proliferation of organs, perhaps by mass franchising, the abundance of organs alone would not necessarily entail the market’s morality. For what if the har m in operating such a market eclipsed the benefit of all organ sales? And I say that a human organ market, by its very nature, is immoral due to the exploitation it would lead to. Proponents of the human organ market