Stanford Economist Thomas Sowell on Organ Transplants-This is Outstanding

‎"Intellectuals(Dialysis Industry) have on issues ranging from housing policies, to laws governing organ transplants–sought to have decisions-making discretion taken from those directly involved , who have personal knowledge and a personal stake, and transferred to third parties who have neither, and who pay no price for being wrong."

-Stanford Economist Thomas Sowell

NDXUFan writes:

It is rank hypocrisy for hospitals and dialysis clinics to demand that they are treated as a business, yet, to say that donors of kidney transplants should not be able to function as a business of one. Do Nephrology physicians and Nurses work for free? Why do they have to be paid, while they demand kidney donors work for free, do we see hypocrisy here?

Maybe it’s paternalistic/maternalistic, but there are concerns that paying for organs would lead to exploitation of the poor, poor after-care of living donors, and untreated complications that could even lead to kidney failure in donors. This has happened in other countries where there is no prohibition against payment for organs or the law is ignored. Check out organ trafficking articles on the Internet.

There is financial help for donors who need help to pay for travel for evaluation or donation, subsistence, and non-medical expenses associated with the donation that aren’t covered by any other source. Transplant programs can enroll in this program to receive funds to help their patients’ living donors. According to the website, 335 transplant programs are enrolled with the NLDA and over 89% of applications from living donors have been approved.
http://www.livingdonorassistance.org/

What do you think about advocating for presumed consent for donation and allowing anyone to opt-out instead of having to opt-in by signing a driver’s license or donor card? If almost anyyone was a potential donor upon death, that might address the myth that some believe today that hospitals and doctors won’t take as good care of someone who has agreed to be an organ donor. This concern/fear is keeping some from signing a donor card or driver’s license. Think how many people could be transplanted with a change like that.

Beth:

I worked in the public assistance building and anytime I hear that arguement from anyone, it means they do not have anything left to argue with, is unbelieveable hypocrisy. Maybe it is paternalistic or maternalistic??? You think??? :slight_smile: The other day, I have been talking to this woman who worked in dialysis as an RN for years. I asked her in relation to kidney transplants, “Would you let third parties make decisions affecting your life?” The response that I received was this: Absolutely Not, Are you nuts???"

Yet, this woman is perfectly fine in letting third parties making decisions for kidney patients, basically, freedom is for me, but, not for thee."

I am sure that the care of kidney donors in the third world is very poor, not surprised. Davita ignores physician orders, but, I guess that is perfectly fine. So, because care of kidney donors is poor in the third world, kidney patients in the United States, where this is not occuring on a large scale should suffer? If these people had to live under their own policies, they would be singing a vastly different tune. Their bellyaching about the poor is just because they are uncomfortable and as long as they are comfortable, healthy, and can travel without a machine, fine with them.

I agree with you about the driver’s license issue. If someone wants to opt out, fine with me. I support the freedom of other people, these people do not support the freedom of others to make choices that they do not like or agree with, it is hypocrisy writ large.