A New Solution to Unemployment?

We’ve blogged extensively about the serious organ-donor shortage in the U.S. and the debate over establishing a market for organs. Now it seems the recession has uncovered some unexpected potential participants in the organ market: unemployed white-collar Americans. In a new article for DailyFinance, former magazine editor Mark Cohen contemplates selling his kidney and points out, “A hundred thousand dollars would do a lot more to stabilize our finances than the other items (a Pottery Barn cabinet, a Thomas O’Brien leather club chair, a cowhide rug) currently under consideration for sale around our house.” Sally Satel, the recipient of a donor kidney and a vocal advocate for a new draft bill that would provide in-kind compensation to donors, points out that the historical arguments against coercing society’s most disadvantaged members to donate don’t apply to white-collar donors. She told Cohen, “But when you’re talking about white-collar people like you wanting to do this, educated people who’ve lost their jobs and have bills to pay but otherwise are going into it with their eyes open — why shouldn’t you be compensated?” [%comments]