Is it desirable to legitimize paid living donor kidney transplantation programmes?

Arguments against paid living donation may be considered in three overlapping strands of discourse – philosophical, political and practical. It is my contention that each of these leads ultimately to the same conclusion. Continued prohibition of paid living donation represents the least worst resolution of the difficult dilemmas posed. For practical purposes the debate will focus predominantly on kidney transplantation, although the same arguments apply when considering other organs.