Biomaterial Database

The prohibition of kidney sales and organ markets should remain. 2008

Gabriel M Danovitch, and Francis L Delmonico

Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA. gdanovitch@mednet.ucla.edu

OBJECTIVE There is an ongoing vigorous debate regarding the wisdom of the current prohibition of organ sales in the United States. We argue that this prohibition must remain in place. We discuss the current international realities regarding organ vending in order to show that even a so-called 'regulated' market brings with it danger to the welfare of transplant donors, their recipients, and potential recipients of nonrenal organs. We counter the specific arguments made in favor of organ sales while recommending multiple measures that can serve to remove disincentives to noncommercial organ donation. We encourage the investment in innovative healthy transplant practice for the benefit of all. RESULTS In 'natural experiments' performed in developing countries the outcome for kidney vendors, in terms of both their medical and psychosocial health, has been shown to be poor. A high incidence of serious infections has been reported in recipients of vended organs. CONCLUSIONS Commercialization of living kidney donation does not serve the interests of the donors, endangers the health of recipients, and undermines the healthy development of the international transplant endeavor.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009042	Motivation	Those factors which cause an organism to behave or act in either a goal-seeking or satisfying manner. They may be influenced by physiological drives or by external stimuli.	Incentives,Disincentives,Expectations,Disincentive,Expectation,Incentive,Motivations
D009927	Tissue and Organ Procurement	The administrative procedures involved with acquiring TISSUES or organs for TRANSPLANTATION through various programs, systems, or organizations. These procedures include obtaining consent from TISSUE DONORS and arranging for transportation of donated tissues and organs, after TISSUE HARVESTING, to HOSPITALS for processing and transplantation.	Organ Procurement,Organ Procurement Systems,Organ Shortage,Tissue Procurement,Tissue Shortage,Donor Cards,Organ Donation,Required Organ Donation Request,Required Request,Tissue Donation,Donor Card,Organ Donations,Organ Procurement System,Organ Procurements,Required Requests,Shortage, Tissue,Tissue Donations,Tissue Procurements,Tissue Shortages
D009937	Organizational Objectives	The purposes, missions, and goals of an individual organization or its units, established through administrative processes. It includes an organization's long-range plans and administrative philosophy.	Goal Setting, Organizational,Goals, Organizational,Objectives, Organizational,Organizational Goals,Goal Settings, Organizational,Goal, Organizational,Objective, Organizational,Organizational Goal,Organizational Goal Setting,Organizational Goal Settings,Organizational Objective,Setting, Organizational Goal,Settings, Organizational Goal
D011639	Public Opinion	The attitude of a significant portion of a population toward any given proposition, based upon a measurable amount of factual evidence, and involving some degree of reflection, analysis, and reasoning.	Interest Groups,Pro-Choice Groups,Public Opinion Polls,Group, Interest,Group, Pro-Choice,Groups, Interest,Groups, Pro-Choice,Interest Group,Opinion Poll, Public,Opinion Polls, Public,Opinion, Public,Poll, Public Opinion,Polls, Public Opinion,Pro Choice Groups,Pro-Choice Group,Public Opinion Poll
D003362	Cost-Benefit Analysis	A method of comparing the cost of a program with its expected benefits in dollars (or other currency). The benefit-to-cost ratio is a measure of total return expected per unit of money spent. This analysis generally excludes consideration of factors that are not measured ultimately in economic terms. In contrast a cost effectiveness in general compares cost with qualitative outcomes.	Cost and Benefit,Cost-Benefit Data,Benefits and Costs,Cost Benefit,Cost Benefit Analysis,Cost-Utility Analysis,Costs and Benefits,Economic Evaluation,Marginal Analysis,Analyses, Cost Benefit,Analysis, Cost Benefit,Analysis, Cost-Benefit,Analysis, Cost-Utility,Analysis, Marginal,Benefit and Cost,Cost Benefit Analyses,Cost Benefit Data,Cost Utility Analysis,Cost-Benefit Analyses,Cost-Utility Analyses,Data, Cost-Benefit,Economic Evaluations,Evaluation, Economic,Marginal Analyses
D003415	Crime	A violation of the criminal law, i.e., a breach of the conduct code specifically sanctioned by the state, which through its administrative agencies prosecutes offenders and imposes and administers punishments. The concept includes unacceptable actions whether prosecuted or going unpunished.	Kidnapping,Poaching,Crimes,Kidnappings
D005381	Financing, Organized	All organized methods of funding.	Community Financing,Grants,Organized Financing,Financing, Community,Grant
D006291	Health Policy	Decisions, usually developed by government policymakers, for determining present and future objectives pertaining to the health care system.	Health Care Policies,Health Policies,Healthcare Policy,National Health Policy,Care Policies, Health,Health Care Policy,Health Policy, National,Healthcare Policies,National Health Policies,Policies, Health,Policies, Health Care,Policies, Healthcare,Policy, Health,Policy, Health Care,Policy, Healthcare
D006297	Health Services Accessibility	The degree to which individuals are inhibited or facilitated in their ability to gain entry to and to receive care and services from the health care system. Factors influencing this ability include geographic, architectural, transportational, and financial considerations, among others.	Access To Care, Health,Access to Care,Access to Contraception,Access to Health Care,Access to Health Services,Access to Medications,Access to Medicines,Access to Therapy,Access to Treatment,Accessibility of Health Services,Availability of Health Services,Contraception Access,Contraceptive Access,Medication Access,Accessibility, Health Services,Contraceptive Availability,Health Services Geographic Accessibility,Program Accessibility,Access to Cares,Access to Contraceptions,Access to Medication,Access to Medicine,Access to Therapies,Access to Treatments,Access, Contraception,Access, Contraceptive,Access, Medication,Accessibilities, Health Services,Accessibility, Program,Availability, Contraceptive,Care, Access to,Cares, Access to,Contraception, Access to,Contraceptive Accesses,Health Services Availability,Medication Accesses,Medication, Access to,Medicine, Access to,Medicines, Access to,Therapy, Access to,Treatment, Access to
D006301	Health Services Needs and Demand	Health services required by a population or community as well as the health services that the population or community is able and willing to pay for.	Health Services Needs,Needs,Needs and Demand, Health Services,Target Population,Health Services Need,Need, Health Services,Needs, Health Services,Population, Target,Populations, Target,Target Populations