ABSTRACT
Human organ transplantation has grown from a once quite experimental and o¬en lethal procedure to the currently preferred treatment in many cases of organ failure. is success has been largely due to improvements in transplant immunology, as well as surgical and postoperative methods. Yet, while such therapeutic progress has been quite impressive, the procurement rate for transplantable organs has remained frustratingly insucient. Despite the high survival rate of organ recipients, the shortage of organs continues to
Introduction 227 e Essential Secular Case against Commercialization 229
Exploitation 230 Coercion 231
Protestant Arguments for and against Human Body Part Commercialization 232
Greed 233 e Protection of Altruism 235 Human Sanctity and Autonomy 236
Conclusion 241 Discussion Questions 241 Endnotes 242 References 242
mean that many will die before an organ becomes available to them and that many more will receive their organs only in markedly less advantageous circumstances, their disease having progressed during extended waiting periods. In 1997 alone there were 4,327 people who died with their names on a transplant waiting list.1
