Ethics challenge winner 2014/2015: To sell and buy a kidney

This year’s RCSIsmj Ethics Challenge put forth the case of Ben, a 29-year-old husband and father of three living in the Philippines. Both he and his wife are underpaid factory workers who hope to shelter their children from the same socioeconomic fate. Being of good health and aware of the inherent dangers of surgery, Ben considers selling one of his kidneys to make his children’s education a financial reality. This essay first discusses the ethics of organ sales using the framework of the four pillars of bioethics – autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice – then proposes alternative methods for increasing the pool of available organs for transplant.