Organ trade

Giving To Get: Could Organ and Tissue Donors Become Less Selfless?

The long held belief that we should not be allowed to buy or sell pieces of our own bodies is changing. What does that mean for the future of organ donation?

The need for organs for transplants far exceeds the supply

During my reporting on organ donation for my fellowship project, one source’s quote stood out. “I’m a living example that organ donation works,” Vicky Mai Nguyen told me. She’s a 26-year-old woman who’s in good health and thriving. Had it not been for a liver transplant, she likely would never have made it to 2.

Living Organ Donor Registry: Does it Make Sense?

Imagine you needed an organ transplant, but none of your relatives are a match. What would you do?

Most people would probably have to wait until someone died to find an organ. But what if you needed a kidney, and a complete stranger was willing to donate one to you? After all, we can live with only one kidney.

But it’s not as easy as it sounds, because it is illegal to sell organs in the United States. Doctors are wary of those who aren’t family members and yet still offer donate organs.