The best argument against kidney sales fails

Paying for sex—only for people with disabilities?

“…To see the significance of this point, consider a partially analogous case. As Luke Semrau4 has argued with respect to the debate over establishing a marketplace for kidneys, there is an important distinction to be drawn between “being pressured to sell X” and “being pressured, with the option to sell X.” If someone is being  directly pressured  to sell her kidney (or become a prostitute, etc. ), then prohibiting the selling of X could at least in principle be of some help.…”

The Quantified Relationship

“…A common feminist critique, for example, is that even though women are now 'free' to have their own careers, they still end up doing most of the housework and most of the carework (see, e.g., Gordon 2014). This is one highly problematic 35 There could of course be other negative consequences associated with commodification, or other background ethical issues that need to be factored into the analysis (e.g., perhaps changing the stigma against selling kidneys will pressure or coerce people into giving up their kidneys; but see Semrau 2015). We have no stake in the kidney donation debate and the existence of such negative consequences doesn't refute the basic point we are trying to make, namely: if the beneficial consequences of a practice are sufficiently great, it may warrant attempts to change the negative meanings that are presently associated with it.…”

Choice, pressure and markets in kidneys

“…Where kidney sellers in India and Iran typically choose to sell in the face of significant debt or extreme financial hardship,15 Semrau advocates a regulated organ market wherein kidney sellers receive a compensation package of up to US$100 000—an amount that is ‘appreciable even by middle-class standards’ 4. It might be thought that if such payments are sufficiently attractive, many would wish to sell, few would receive the opportunity to do so and the problem of pressure to vend would not arise.…”