Here's a well written story about kidney donation, and some of the very interesting people involved in the debate over compensating donors. It's written by the talented science writer Carrie Arnold, in Noema magazine (which she described to me as "a pub that has a philosophical bent published by the Berggruen Foundation," when I was among the many people she interviewed for the story).
It starts by introducing us to non-directed donors like Elaine Perlman and her son Abie Rohrig (he donated first and she followed). Elaine is now a leader in promoting organ donation and compensation of donors, not least through the End Kidney Deaths Act. We also meet the indefatigable Frank McCormick, an economist at the forefront of understanding the finances of transplantation (and how much money it saves society and the healthcare system compared to dialysis).
Here's the story:
How Much Is Your Kidney Worth? To address the deadly organ shortage, some are proposing compensating living kidney donors, creating an ethical dilemma. By Carrie Arnold , in Noema, February 13, 2025
Ms. Arnold gives me the last word. The very last line of the story concerns the End Kidney Deaths Act:
“This is a proposal that just says donors are really generous,” Roth said, “maybe we can be generous to them in return.”
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