How Much Is That Kidney in the Window

In Bruce Gottlieb’s article “How Much Is That Kidney in the Window” Gottlieb argues that the American people should be allowed to sell their kidney. Jack Kevorkian argues that the way that kidneys are recieved from the deceased and from donors does not provide enough kidneys to keep those who need a kidney alive. Kevorkian believes that the sale of kidneys should be permitted and that the lives lost while waiting for a kidney transplant would be saved. Many argue against legalizing the sale of kidneys because of the danger to the donor but there are other procedures being done legally that are more dangerous to the donor than a kidney transplant is. He compares the effect on life expectancy from donating one kidney to be no more dangerous than driving an extra sixteen miles to work each day. Recipients from the sale of a kidney would benefit not only from the fact that there would be more kidneys available but also from the stand point that a kidney from a cadaver last for eight years compared to a kidney from a live donor last more than twice as long.   Transplant surgery and postsurgical treatments are very expensive and Medicare pays the medical bills of patients who need dialysis. The federal government and insurance companies could break even within a two year period by purchasing a kidney just from the savings on patients now on dialysis. The government could create a price floor to keep sellers from bidding down the going price for a kidney and should allow the poor to sell a kidney just like anyone else. Legislation could easily draft a law allowing the sale of a kidney but keep other organs from being sold. I agree that the sale of kidneys should be allowed because the recipients and the seller of a kidney would benefit as well as the insurance companies and the government could save a substantial amount financially.
     In response to Bruce Gottlieb’s essay on the legalization of selling kidneys, there have been many heated debates over the legalizing...