The sale of human organs should be legal

1. The Saleof human organsshould belegal, say some. Someareagainstit. Whatis yourtake?Give reasonsforyouranswer
includeany relevantexamplesfromyourown knowledgeand experience. Writeatleast250 words.
There are thousandsofpeople dying for wantof a kidney and thousandsofpeopledying becauseit’s illegal
to sell a kidney. Itseems a match madein heaven. So why are we standingin the way? Governmentsshould
notban the sale of humanorgans;they shouldregulate it. Lives shouldnotbe wasted; they shouldbe saved.
About350,000 Americanssuffer from end-stagerenal disease, a state of kidney disorderso advancedthat
the organstopsfunctioningaltogether. There are no miracle drugs thatcan revive a failed kidney, leaving
dialysisand kidney transplantationasthe only possibletreatments.
Dialysis is harsh, expensive, and, worst of all, only temporary. Acting as anartificial kidney, dialysis
mechanically filters the bloodof a patient. It works, butnotwell. With treatment sessionslastingthree
hours, several times a week, thosedependenton dialysisare, in a sense, shackled toa machinefor the rest
of their lives. Adding excessive stress to the body, dialysiscausespatientsto feel increasingly faint andtired,
usually keeping themfrom work and othernormal activities.
Kidney transplantation, ontheother hand, is the closest thingto a cure thatanyonecould hopefor. Today
the procedure is bothsafe andreliable, causingfew complications. With better technology for confirming
tissue matchesand new anti-rejection drugs, the surgery is relatively simple.
In thisyear alone, 50,000 havediedworldwide while waiting for a kidney transplantjustbecause the number
of willing donorsis small. The optionremaining for such patients is to be placed on a deceased donorslist,
waiting for the organsfrom people dyingof old age or accidents. The list is long. With over 60,000 peoplein
line in the UnitedStates alone, the average wait for a cadaverous kidney is ten long years.
Dauntedby the low odds, somehaveturned to purchasingkidneysonthe black market. Forabout$150,000,
they can buy a fresh kidney from a healthy, living donor. There are nolines, no waits, nofollow-up, no
paperwork to sign. The entire procedure is carefully plannedout, the operationsare performed in a foreign
country, andthen all are flown back to their respective homes. The illegal kidney trade is attractivenot only
because of the promptnessbutalsobecause a kidney from a living donorcan last. When “desperately
wanted goods”are made illegal, history hasshownthat there is more opportunity forcorruptionand
exploitation thanif thosegoodswere allowed, the effects of the prohibitionof alcohol, is a case in point.
Legalization of organ sales would give governmentstheauthority andthe opportunity toclosely monitor
these live kidney operations. Regulationwould also protectthe buyers. There wouldbe contractsand,
therefore, guarantees. While thoseparticipating in the kidney marketare breakingthe law, they have no
other choice. Withouta new kidney, end-stagerenaldisease will soonkill them. Desperate to survive, they
are forced to take the only offer available.
Is the act immoral?Well, in the first place it is immoralto deny them the opportunity ofa new kidney and
then toleave themstrandedat the mercy of the black market. Insteadof turningour backs, we have the
power to ensure thatthese operationsare donesafely and efficiently for boththe recipient and the donor.
Those suffering from end-stagerenal disease would do anythingforthe chance at a new kidney, take any
risk or pay any price. There are other people sopoorthat the sale of a kidney is worth the profit. Try totell
someonethat he hasto die from kidney failure because selling a kidney is morally wrong. Then turn around
andtry to tell anotherpersonthat he hasto remain in poverty for that same reason. If legalized and
regulated, the sale of humanorganswould savelives. Is it moral to sentence thousandstounnecessary
deaths?

2. A clear,arguableposition appropriately statedasthesis, providesREASONSandEVIDENCEtosupport
thesis, and usestransitionsto movelogically from one idea tothe next. • Reason(fairness to buyers)
supportedby examples. •.Counterargument(controllingorgan sales wouldbe difficult) acknowledged.
Restates mainpoint in conclusion andposes a questionfor readers’ consideration.