When Altruism Isnt Moral

699 Words3 Pages
Is Altruism the Only Circumstance Organ Donations Should Be Accepted? Should altruism be the only incentive to donate organs? Sally Satel argues her case that donors should be compensated in some fashion. “When Altruism Isn’t Moral” is an article written by Sally Satel, which was originally published in the “Journey of the American Enterprise Institute”. The purpose is to argue that potential organ donors should be rewarded for their generosity .In addition, Satel argues the current system of altruistic donation is yet noble, it is not the most motivating course for organ donation out of all the alternatives to save people’s lives. The author gives examples including her own organ recipient experience to illustrate how the current system can be altered and improved otherwise the only people who would volunteer to donate organs would be ones that no longer needed them, the deceased. Satel pinpoints the short comings with the current system and offers rebuttals to altruism supporters. Compensation is given for blood plasma donated at clinic. “Today we routinely assign valuation to the body. Human blood plasma is collected primarily through paid donation. Personal injury lawyers seek damages for bodily harm to their clients. The Veteran’s Administration put a price on physical disabilities, we pay for justice in the context of personal injury litigation in the form of legal costs, and for very lives in the form of medical fees” (39) At any given time, random people, can walk into a clinic and donate sperm and/or blood plasma for immediate financial gain, integrity never questioned nor asked about their incentives. So why is it any different for donating organs to save a life that is at risk and potentially fatal? It is a double standard. If it is acceptable to motivate people to donate sperm and create life, with cash incentives, then it should be acceptable to
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