| Medical Freedom

Invasion of the Body Snatchers?

by Paul Gessing

I have long felt that the ongoing shortage of body organs for transplants is an artificial result of federal regulations that prohibit any financial incentives for those who -- upon death -- donate their bodies to save the lives of others. As is so often the case when government policies fail (the United Kingdom and Canada both have similar "no-compensation" policies), additional regulations are adopted. The UK and Canada are now considering rules that would essentially allow the state to "steal" the organs of the dead. The authors of this article suggest we go the other direction by allowing financial incentives for those who choose organ donation.

This seems to me like "Economics 101," but financial incentives are the only proven way to create desired results while also respecting personal freedom.