No Trade-Offs?
By Thomas Sowell
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
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More organs to transplant are needed, and people tend to supply more of anything when they are paid more — and especially when they are paid something instead of being paid nothing.
But, here as elsewhere, we must first overcome squeamishness. And the first step is to stop confusing it with being humane.
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We allow the politicians, bureaucrats, and fuzzy thinking sheep to keep us from doing the right thing in some many areas of life.
As you know, I believe that free markets are miniature elections. A buyer and seller can (usually) make a bargain from whence they both benefit. (if they didn’t, then the deal would not close.) That says to the world that X = Y. A barrel of oil is worth 65$. Aside from all other arguments, that sets the stage for people to make decisions and plans. If your potential use would bring you 66$ in value, then you proceed. Otherwise, you decline. It’s an election. And, it’s interesting because it sums up all the wants, need, and desires across all the people. The next barrel is up for bid. The one who needs it “most” will get it. And, they will have the money to pay based on their contributions to their fellow man. Yup, that’s right. The only way to get money is to appeal to you fellow man to give you some by satisfying their needs. The market place is not only an election, rationing agent, and an auctioneer, it’s a mechanism to enforce cooperation.
So, let’s use it to solve the organ donation problem.
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Reinke Faces Life 
A free market in human organs would save thousands of lives every year. I hope I live to see it.
In the mean time, there is a legal non-monetary market for organs. It’s called LifeSharers.
LifeSharers offers a compelling trade. If you agree to donate your organs when you die, you’ll get an increased chance of getting a transplant should you ever need one to live.
Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at http://www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. There is no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any pre-existing medical condition.
Over half of the 97,000 Americans on the national transplant waiting list will die before they get a transplant. Most of these deaths are needless. Americans bury or cremate about 20,000 transplantable organs every year. Over 6,000 of our neighbors suffer and die needlessly every year as a result.
Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. People who aren’t willing to share the gift of life should go to the back of the waiting list as long as there is a shortage of organs.
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