Science Forums 2

[stanleyg]

Being the cranky old fool that I am, I think legislators should legalize public or private health insurance providers to purchase kidney transplants from compatible donors. In my opinion it would reduce or control the sell of kidneys on the black market. The law would spare kidney patients from the lifetime agony of dialysis treatments.

I am attaching excerpts from two articles discussing the benefits of kidney transplants for dialysis patients VS the selling of human kidneys on the black market.

National Kidney Foundation

When an individual's kidneys fail, three treatment options are available: hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and kidney transplantation. Many patients feel that a successful kidney transplant provides a better quality of life because it allows greater freedom and often is associated with increased energy levels and a less restricted diet. In making a decision about whether this is the best treatment for you, you may find it helpful to talk to people who already have had a kidney transplant. You also need to speak to your doctor, nurse and family members.

Christian Science Monitor

Unknown to him, under South Africa's 1983 Human Tissue Act, Arie and his donor have broken the law. But the organ brokers and doctors are the ones making the biggest profits - and are the real targets of the police. Buying and selling kidneys across three continents is, in some ways, the perfect 21st-century crime. That's what South African investigator Johan Wessels realizes as he gets further and further into his new case. For one thing, it occurs in several jurisdictions, all of which are thousands of miles apart. And it's hard to determine where exactly the crime - handing over the money - takes place. And if one country starts cracking down, the syndicate can hop to another.