Do you ever think about having a garage sale? Everyone has stuff they would like to get rid of; some old clothes, furniture or maybe their kidney. These days, instead of having a garage sale, people sell their junk on the Internet through online bidding services. If you want to get rid of a CD, for example, all you have to do is get on the Internet and a service like eBay will connect you with potential buyers who bid on the item.
So, when a recent seller was looking to profit from the sale of his kidney, he went to eBay and started the bidding at $25,000; the bidders sent the price up to $5.7 million. But eBay spoiled the fun. Apparently, there is a federal law against selling your body parts and eBay has some issue with supporting illegal activities.
My first reaction is to wonder why there is a law against selling your own body parts. For one thing, isn't it my body? If I"m allowed to poison myself with cigarettes and alcohol, why can't I sell a part of my body to help someone else live? Surely this affects no one other than the buyer and the seller. If no one is hurt, why legislate against it? The answer is that, despite popular belief, we do not live in a free society. Though we have personal freedoms, there are countless items which are regulated although they do not affect society as a whole. Prostitution, gambling, polygamy and sexual activity are just a few examples. It seems that the government is trying to instill a moral code on the population, instead of letting us decide for ourselves what is moral.
According to the Transweb Web site, there are over 55,000 people waiting for a kidney, and that 4,000 of them will die before they get one. It sounds like this law is literally an unnecessary death sentence for thousands of Americans each year. The government should intervene when life is threatened, not to prevent the possibility of saving lives. The incentive for organ donation after death would be much higher if people knew their families would receive a payment.
