Don't sell kidneys for transplants

New Jersey Star-Ledger


Levy Itzhak Rosenbaum was sentenced last week to 30 months in prison for his role in arranging the sale of a human kidney.

But some say these sales should not be a crime at all. The man who supplied a kidney to Rosenbaum was paid $25,000 and emerged unharmed, if somewhat diminished. The kidney itself saved a man’s life, and his daughter says she regards Rosenbaum as a “hero” for making that happen.

A commercial trade in organs would undoubtedly save lives. In America today, an average of 17 people die each day while waiting for organs, the bulk of them are people whose kidneys have failed. That number is growing relentlessly as kidney failure rates skyrocket, while donation rates stagnate.
In Iran, where kidneys are bought and sold legally, this problem is a thing of the past. There is no waiting list.

But there are good reasons to keep the ban on organ sales in place. One is that even willing transactions can be abusive.

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