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The Chicago Sun-Times ran an op-ed article by Gary Becker, University Professor of Economics and of Sociology, that took a look at permitting the sale and purchase of human organs for transplant purposes. As an economist, Becker posits that the supply of organs would increase if laws forbidding their sale and purchase were eliminated. The result would be that more lives would be saved.
When it comes to discussions about the commodification of human organs, Becker states he does “not find compelling the arguments against allowing the sale of organs.” In the column, he counters critics who raise moral issues, object that the poor would be forced by economic reasons to be more likely to sell, and caution that live donors could suffer regret decisions based on short-term gain.
The op-ed piece, which ran January 15, 2005, was a copy of a post Becker made on the blog he maintains with U.S. Appellate Judge Richard Posner. Check out the Becker-Posner blog for responses to his post.
Read Becker's research paper on markets and organ donation.