Cash for Kidneys: The Case for Selling Organs

For those that missed it, there was a terrific article published in the Wall Street Journal on Saturday. It makes the case why it is not “ethical” to let thousands of people die, when they could be saved if people were allowed to sell kidneys that they don’t need. The so-called “do-gooders” think that selling body parts is immoral. They think it’s ok to sell blood or to act as a surrogate mother, but not to sell kidneys. They think it’s ok to torture people for years on dialysis, only to have them die waiting for kidneys that never become available. The time has come to end the dialysis inquisition. The only people benefiting from this gruesome situation are the manufacturers of the machines.

Please read the Wall Street Journal article and, for those of you in France, watch our recently completed, already award winning inside look at organ trafficking. The film is directed by my friend and colleague, Ric Bienstock, and produced by Ric (it’s a she), Felix Golubev and me. It was recently screened in the Danish Parliament and it’s helping to put the issue on the international agenda. Ric’s investigation is a clear-eyed objective analysis of what’s going on. It’s the first time that a filmmaker has successfully tracked down all aspects of a single trafficking case – patient, seller, surgeon, etc. I’ll keep you posted as to various airings (it’s already aired in the US, Canada and Denmark).

The needless dying must stop. Hopefully this report from the frontlines of kidney trafficking will help.