Doctor found guilty of offering kidneys-for-cash...

August 30, 2002 2:39 AM

Doctor found guilty of offering kidneys-for-cash... though the case against him sounds a little dodgy. It raises all sorts of questions (not least about supposed organ rationining, something discussed in this link) - what level of evidence should industrial tribunals require for a guilty verdict? How legitimate is the kind of journalism pursued here - is this entrapment? And even if it was, does it matter if the guy does say he can get what's needed?
posted by humuhumu (4 comments total)

And even if it was, does it matter if the guy does say he can get what's needed?

If you're asking whether the GP was wrong to offer to acquire a kidney for a fee...the answer is yes, he was wrong.

With the possible exception of retired U.S. Marine colonels, the availability of organs for persons in any civilized country is supposedly based upon need and individual case characteristics, not who can pay the most. I haven't seen a transplantable organ available on E-bay (yet).

A wealthy alcoholic with cirrhosis and hepatitis C has never been able to cut down on his drinking. He outbids a young woman with Budd-Chiari syndrome, who soon dies from liver failure. He gets his transplant and goes into liver failure again. Has the "market" served us well?
posted by fold_and_mutilate at 3:08 AM on August 30, 2002

My question was more about the process of investigation than what he actually did. I'm certain that health decisions should be based on need, not $$$ (or £££, in this case). I was just raising the point about whether something said to a journalist who is poking someone into a particular direction should count as proof - now I don't want my doctor (i) saying things he doesn't mean to placate someone or (ii) offering body parts to the highest bidder, but there doesn't seem to be any evidence in this case that he actually went off and tried to find a kidney for this person, for any amount of money.
posted by humuhumu at 3:31 AM on August 30, 2002

But you have to remember this isn't a criminal case, it's a hearing to see whether he should be struck off the medical register. In that context, I think it's admissable.
posted by Summer at 4:04 AM on August 30, 2002

Vaguely related question:
What abou if I will my organs to someone, and they don't need them? Wouldn't the organs be theirs to dispose of? Would it be wrong to sell my organs, even though I gave them permission?
posted by blue_beetle at 9:47 AM on August 30, 2002