Public Solicitation of Organ Donors

Abstract

During the past half-century, organ donation has been fertile territory for both extraordinary compassion and complex ethical questions. As transplantation has become safer and outcomes have improved, the rules for donation and the fair allocation of organs have struggled to keep pace.In 2004, there were about 27,000 solid-organ transplantations in the United States — nearly 1600 more than there had been in 2003. Yet the demand for organs remains far greater than the supply. As of July 2005, there were about 89,000 people on waiting lists. For the largest group — the 62,500 patients awaiting kidneys — the expectation . . .