Kidney for Sale by Owner : Human Organs, Transplantation, and the Market

Kidney for Sale by Owner : Human Organs, Transplantation, and the Market

by Mark J. Cherry

Overview

Thousands of people die annually in the United States while waiting for organ transplants While everyone agrees that this is a national tragedy, bold initiatives to address the problem--such as creating a fee-based and regulated market for organ transplantation--have been fiercely rejected by the federal government and the medical community. But why? If most Americans accept the notion that the market is the most efficient means to distribute resources, why should body parts be exempt? Bioethicist Mark Cherry contends that not only is the market a legitimate means to distribute body parts, but that this approach is actually more just--and more compatible with many Western religious and philosophical traditions--than the current charity-based system now in place. Cherry examines arguments against a market for body parts and shows these claims to be steeped in myth, oversimplification, and bad logic, and contends that in regard to body parts such core values as equality, liberty, altruism, social solidarity, human dignity, and, ultimately, improved health care are more successfully supported by a market rather than through its prohibition. This paperback edition includes a new preface from the author, in which he surveys changes in the field since the initial publication of the book.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781626162938
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
Publication date: 02/01/2016
Pages: 280
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Mark J. Cherry is the Dr. Patricia A. Hayes Professor in Applied Ethics and professor of philosophy at St. Edward’s University, Austin, Texas. He is editor of The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, associate senior editor of Christian Bioethics, and editor-in-chief of HealthCare Ethics Committee Forum. He is coeditor of the book series The Annals of Bioethics and editor of the book series Philosophical Studies in Contemporary Culture.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Paperback Edition

Introduction1. Human Organ Sales and Moral Arguments: The Body for Beneficence and Profit IntroductionChallenges for Public Health Care Policy"Global Consensus"Prohibition: Controversies and Criticisms

2. Metaphysics, Morality, and Political Theory: The Presuppositions of Proscription Reexamined Introduction Initial Considerations: Assessing Standards of Evidence and Placing the Burden of Proof Persons and Body Parts Owning One's Body Repugnance: Adjudication Among Moral Institutions Government, Health Care Policy, and Private Choices Summary

3. A Market in Human Organs: Costs and Benefits, Vices and Virtues Introduction Health Care Costs and Benefits Special Moral Costs and Benefits: Equality and Liberty Exploitation: Organ Markets Verses Other Procurement and Allocation Strategies Community, Altruism, and Free Choice Scientific Excellence and the Market Place The Market and Profit: The Virtues and Vices of Free Choice Summary

4. The Body, Its Parts, and the Market: Revisionist Interpretations From the History of Philosophy Introduction Major Theories Summary

5. Prohibition: More Harm than Benefit? Aspiring to an International Bioethics False Claims to Moral Consensus Crafting Health Care Policy Amidst Moral Pluralism

Appendix: Sample of International Legislation Restricting the Sale of Human Organs for Transplantation

List of Cases

Notes

Index

What People are Saying About This

Nicholas Capaldi

Mark Cherry's book is the definitive treatment of the bioethical and business ethics questions that have been raised about a market in organs. It is must reading for anyone interested in these issues, and it will be the basis for all future discussion of this topic.

Kevin Wm. Wildes

Mark Cherry has authored an important, intellectually challenging book. Not only does Cherry address important questions about the sale of organs, but he also raises thought-provoking, important moral questions about how we understand the body and moral authority in a secular society. The book raises important questions for transplantation ethics, bioethics, and political ethics.

From the Publisher

"Mark Cherry has authored an important, intellectually challenging book. Not only does Cherry address important questions about the sale of organs, but he also raises thought provoking, important moral questions about how we understand the body and moral authority in a secular society. The book raises important questions for transplantation ethics, bioethics, and political ethics."—Kevin Wm. Wildes, SJ, President, Loyola University New Orleans

"Kidney for Sale by Owner is extremely important, especially at a time when the demand for organs is ever-increasing and the supply is not. Cherry addresses important issues in social and political philosophy, health care economics, public policy, and social justice. Policymakers and health care professionals involved in designing policy or position statements for professional organizations should look to this carefully argued and level-headed analysis of the arguments for and against the permissibility of selling organs."—Ana Iltis, Assistant Professor, Center for Health Care Ethics, Saint Louis University, and Author of Institutional Integrity in Health Care

"Mark Cherry's book is the definitive treatment of the bioethical and business ethics questions that have been raised about a market in organs. It is must reading for anyone interested in these issues, and it will be the basis for all future discussion of this topic. "—Nicholas Capaldi, Legendre-Soule Distinguished Chair in Business Ethics, Loyola University New Orleans

Ana Iltis

Kidney for Sale by Owner is extremely important, especially at a time when the demand for organs is ever-increasing and the supply is not. Cherry addresses important issues in social and political philosophy, health care economics, public policy, and social justice. Policymakers and health care professionals involved in designing policy or position statements for professional organizations should look to this carefully argued and level-headed analysis of the arguments for and against the permissibility of selling organs.

Customer Reviews