Legalizing Organ Trade

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Filling The Gap: Legalizing Organ Trade Devon is sitting somberly in his fourth grade class, waiting for the bell to ring. Unlike most of his classmates, he isn't too excited that school is almost over; instead, he's actually dreading it. Three days a week, including today, Devon must go to the nephrology center at his local hospital, where he spends four hours hooked to a machine that filters toxins from his blood. Sadly, like nearly 100,000 other Americans, Devon suffers from chronic renal failure and awaits a new kidney, one which may never come. Organ transplantation has become incredibly successful in recent years, and, as a result, so has the demand for healthy organs. In fact, the demand has risen so much that it has exhausted…show more content…
As I mentioned earlier, most arguments opposed to legalizing the organ trade are grounded in philosophy, and one of the most prominent of these regards the ethicality of commoditizing the human body. Many people argue that we essentially own our bodies and should therefore be able to do what we want with them, but not everyone agrees. Austin Cline, a guide to atheism and agnosticism on About.com, argues that ownership of one's body is unique: for example, we are unable to transfer ownership of our bodies, it is illegal to sell ourselves into slavery, and there are even laws dictating how we may sell our labor. Given this, would it not be hypocritical to allow organ trade to…show more content…
Some argue that we would hurt many more people by allowing organ trade because it would take advantage of so many, but in an organized, western country like the United States, it's not out of mind's reach to believe that we could control such a market. With the implementation of strict rules and practices, we could safely and ethically cut the looming shortage to shreds. But as it stands today, by not allowing the organ trade to commence, we are not doing everything we possibly can to fill the gap between the number of needed organs and the number that are actually available, and we're denying so many people their chance to
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