In the future, criminals convicted of capital offenses are forced to donate all of their organs to medicine, so that their body parts can be used to save lives and thus repay society for their crimes. However, high demand for organs has inspired lawmakers to lower the bar for execution further and further over time.
None of that has anything to do with allowing people to sell kidneys in a legal regulated market.
I’m thinking you didn’t actually read the article.
In The Jigsaw Man, and similar stories in that era of the Known Universe, organs are extracted so viciously because the rich can achieve near-immortality through constant cycling of damaged organs. Thus, the demand for organs by powerful people prompted an increase in supply by any means necessary.
In this kidney scenario, we’re talking about introduction of capitalism into organ donation. The medical industry is already entrenched enough as it is into capitalism, fucking over real people because they can’t afford healthcare, and this would bring it to a new low. Powerful people will already demand high prices for organs that were normally regulated with priority system that figures out who actually needs it the most, outside of class. As soon as we open this door, the economics will eventually force large classes of people to sell whatever extra organs they have to the rich just to survive poverty. Exploitation of the poor to benefit the rich in yet another way previously blocked to them.
I’m thinking you didn’t actually read the article.
As the article explains, that’s not an argument for abolition, but regulation instead. You’re also not thinking through how this could or would work. You’re just kind of assuming the current black market would now be legal. But that doesn’t make sense.
Why is this here?
It’s a good article. It reasonably exposes the poor reasoning prohibiting the sale of kidneys. It also makes a strong case for allowing it.
The headline itself isn’t very oniony at all.
I don’t get it.
There are a slew of sci-fi stories that say otherwise, like The Jigsaw Man by Larry Niven.
Wikipedia: The Jigsaw Man
None of that has anything to do with allowing people to sell kidneys in a legal regulated market.
I’m thinking you didn’t actually read the article.
In The Jigsaw Man, and similar stories in that era of the Known Universe, organs are extracted so viciously because the rich can achieve near-immortality through constant cycling of damaged organs. Thus, the demand for organs by powerful people prompted an increase in supply by any means necessary.
In this kidney scenario, we’re talking about introduction of capitalism into organ donation. The medical industry is already entrenched enough as it is into capitalism, fucking over real people because they can’t afford healthcare, and this would bring it to a new low. Powerful people will already demand high prices for organs that were normally regulated with priority system that figures out who actually needs it the most, outside of class. As soon as we open this door, the economics will eventually force large classes of people to sell whatever extra organs they have to the rich just to survive poverty. Exploitation of the poor to benefit the rich in yet another way previously blocked to them.
I did not because it’s an extremely stupid question. The answer is simple.
As the article explains, that’s not an argument for abolition, but regulation instead. You’re also not thinking through how this could or would work. You’re just kind of assuming the current black market would now be legal. But that doesn’t make sense.
You should really read the article.
Maybe op thought this was c/NotAnUtopia ;)
Or !ABoringDystopia@lemmy.world. A common mistake.