Lori Wells, a 20-year-old Edmonton woman on dialysis, appealed on the internet for a kidney donor and 36 complete strangers from as far away as Florida volunteered their organs. “When donors contacted the local health authority, their offers were turned down.” Canadian transplant programs “insist living donors be family or close friends” to avoid the possibility that persons will donate organs for reasons deemed unworthy. One result: while 3,000 Canadians languish on waiting lists in need of transplants, only about 1,100 of them get transplants in a given year. (Adam Young, “Organ Donations: Socialism or Laissez-Faire?”, Mises.org, Jan. 19; “Ethicists dash hopes for internet kidney donors”, CBC, Dec. 22). (via Alex Tabarrok)
Better for her to die?
Lori Wells, a 20-year-old Edmonton woman on dialysis, appealed on the internet for a kidney donor and 36 complete strangers from as far away as Florida volunteered their organs. “When donors contacted the local health authority, their offers were turned down.” Canadian transplant programs “insist living donors be family or close friends” to avoid the […]
Comments are closed.