There are numerous ethical issues surrounding the commercial/free-market trade of human organs.
Most simply:
- There is, naturally, demand for bone marrow transplants in India. What are the moral and ethical implications of denying someone there (of presumably lower economic ability) a transplant so they can supply someone in the US (of presumably much higher economic ability)? If they were swimming in an excess of willing donors, perhaps this would be less of an issue, but I don't know any country in the world where there is a surplus of bone marrow donors.
- What incentive structure does this create, and what does it mean for us if we legitimize commercial organ trade? How many donations will be voluntary, or will we see an explosion in "donations", forced upon the disenfranchised and vulnerable?
I'd be very wary of walking down the path of commercialized organ trade.
Interestingly though, this isn't "organ" trade, because the resource in question is replenished by the body within a few weeks. So it isn't really depriving anyone of anything to donate bone marrow.
Most simply:
- There is, naturally, demand for bone marrow transplants in India. What are the moral and ethical implications of denying someone there (of presumably lower economic ability) a transplant so they can supply someone in the US (of presumably much higher economic ability)? If they were swimming in an excess of willing donors, perhaps this would be less of an issue, but I don't know any country in the world where there is a surplus of bone marrow donors.
- What incentive structure does this create, and what does it mean for us if we legitimize commercial organ trade? How many donations will be voluntary, or will we see an explosion in "donations", forced upon the disenfranchised and vulnerable?
I'd be very wary of walking down the path of commercialized organ trade.