There is no purely economic argument against a free market in body parts. With large numbers of potential sellers and large numbers of buyers, there is little risk of the market becoming monopolized. Doctors performing the transplants would be in a position to judge the quality of the purchased organs. A higher price would lead more people to sell their kidneys, etc., while a lower price would put the parts within the means of more buyers â so such markets would be able to continually adjust to supply and demand conditions. But many people would find such markets offensive. The sellers would most certainly be considerably poorer than the buyers, so serious inequality issues are involved. There is also the likelihood that some of the organs on these markets were not voluntarily sold, particularly when they come from countries with corrupt police forces. Learn about âtransplant tourismâ in this article from The Atlantic and read about legalizing international trade in organs in Time. Several perspectives from economists are presented at EconDebates Online (choose the âGovernment and Economyâ link, and then scroll down.) What are some of the problems, from an economic standpoint, with the current rules governing organ transplantation in the U.S.? What are some of the ethical concerns about legalizing organ trade? Do you support the legalization of a market for organ donations? Explain your reasoning, being careful to list specific ethical issues and economic considerations. Could buying and selling organs result in fewer organs available for transplant?
Article Links:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/11/why-legalizing-organ-sales-would-help-to-save-lives-end-violence/248114/
http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1833858,00.html
http://www.swlearning.com/economics/econ_debate.html
There is no purely economic argument against a free market in body parts. With large numbers of potential sellers and large numbers of buyers, there is little risk of the market becoming monopolized. Doctors performing the transplants would be in a position to judge the quality of the purchased organs. A higher price would lead more people to sell their kidneys, etc., while a lower price would put the parts within the means of more buyers â so such markets would be able to continually adjust to supply and demand conditions. But many people would find such markets offensive. The sellers would most certainly be considerably poorer than the buyers, so serious inequality issues are involved. There is also the likelihood that some of the organs on these markets were not voluntarily sold, particularly when they come from countries with corrupt police forces. Learn about âtransplant tourismâ in this article from The Atlantic and read about legalizing international trade in organs in Time. Several perspectives from economists are presented at EconDebates Online (choose the âGovernment and Economyâ link, and then scroll down.) What are some of the problems, from an economic standpoint, with the current rules governing organ transplantation in the U.S.? What are some of the ethical concerns about legalizing organ trade? Do you support the legalization of a market for organ donations? Explain your reasoning, being careful to list specific ethical issues and economic considerations. Could buying and selling organs result in fewer organs available for transplant?
Article Links:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/11/why-legalizing-organ-sales-would-help-to-save-lives-end-violence/248114/
http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1833858,00.html
http://www.swlearning.com/economics/econ_debate.html
