Solving the organ transplant shortage

Posted by Marc Hodak on September 15, 2007 under Revealed preference | 7 Comments to Read

OK, here is my proposal to alleviate the organ transplant shortage: If you want to be the recipient of an organ transplant at some point in your life, you have to register somewhere as an organ donor, something as simple as checking off the box on your license, before you need an organ.

This is admittedly a proposal born of very little study on my part–you could fairly call it ignorance. I don’t know what percentage of people have checked off the organ donor box versus not. I don’t know how many potential donors’ organs go unharvested because they didn’t check off the box vs. the total need for human organs. I don’t know if we want to create a constituency that is indifferent to improved auto safety. But it seems to me that many people don’t check off the organ donor box because of a combination of the “ick” factor and laziness. In other words, for silly reasons that could be easily overcome with a little incentive.

I also understand that certain people can’t check off the box for religious reasons, thus likely placing those people below the line when it comes time for a transplant. I count my closest, dearest family members among this group. Screw em. If their religious beliefs take then out of the pool of donors, it should take them out of the pool of recipients, and leave the rest to God’s will.

Seriously, I would be happy to give my brother one of my kidneys should he ever need one. But my heart, when I no longer need mine, should go to someone who placed theirs at risk of being at my disposal. I think that’s as fair as inherently unfair circumstances can be.