Kidney for sale. £28,000 o.n.o.

Gavin Scott · Wed 03 Aug, 2011 10.02

So what do you make of the suggestion from Dundee University researcher Sue Rabbitt Roff that the NHS should explore payments for organs in the UK?

Other countries allow payments for donations of kidneys, and there's also a large illegal market for such things.

The suggestion is that, with there being a shortage of donations currently and a recession to boot, that these two things should somehow connect together to give people additional "life changing" money (a year's salary) and stop the shortfall of organ availability for sick people.

Is this specious reasoning of the highest order, or is there a certain logic?

Would you sell yours for that kind of money, or does the whole thing make you shudder?

Alexia · Wed 03 Aug, 2011 18.58

I'll be blunt: I'd like to keep all my organs intact thankyou very much. £28,000 would be nice to have, but being able to filter all the crap out of my blood and keep my body's natural balance intact is worth a bit more. After I die, fine -- slice me, dice me, take what you want so long as there's enough of me left over to not scare my family in the undertakers.

The trade in human body parts belongs in the dark ages. I'd rather see that £28,000 bribe that's been taken from the NHS' purse put towards stem cell research so we can GROW new kidneys in the lab. There lies the future, not in something inspired by Burke & Hare.

Critique · Wed 03 Aug, 2011 20.06

Surely there are ethics that relate to this. For example, if you had a 40 year-old-man who was orphaned, worked two jobs, did regular charity work, and had a wife and two children to feed, and desperately needed a Kidney, you'd be inclined to give him it for free. In contrast, you could have a Paedophile who's never worked a day in his life because he can't be bothered to, and you'd probably want to charge for it.

Therefore, the end product would be a mess as some people charge, others give and then there's a different set with a Donor card.

Lorns · Thu 04 Aug, 2011 21.40

Sell a kidney..!? have a laugh. The only reason i keep my family close is incase i am ever in need of an freebie organ donation <wink>

Lorns · Thu 04 Aug, 2011 21.45

on a serious note now. I will never sell an organ, but if after my death my organs ( as abused as they are) would be of use to anyone after my death then they can have them so long as they're served with onions and mash potatoes.