Understanding the Issue of Compensating Organ Donors

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Printed Page 234

The issue of compensating organ donors is fraught ethically, geopolitically, and economically. Obviously, one needs to have died to donate certain organs, such as the heart, but for other organs, like kidneys, healthy individuals can apparently live a long life after donating. Throughout the world, demand for organs far exceeds the supply. The shortage of organs has led to an international organ trade, sometimes called transplant tourism. A number of nations—including India, Pakistan, and Peru—are commonly known as organ-exporting countries, whereas the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Australia are some of the major organ-importing countries. The question of whether organ donors should be compensated—and, if so, how—has become increasingly heated. In 1999, Nancy Scheper-Hughes, an anthropology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, helped launch Organs Watch, which tracks the global organ market. She also coedited the essay collection Commodifying Bodies (2003), which examines global attitudes and practices about organ donation. There have been several public debates on the issue, such as one aired in 2008 on National Public Radio and another printed in 2010 in the New York Times Room for Debate series.