Introduction

Although the global medical demand for plasma continues to grow, few countries have attempted to increase their supply by offering compensation to prospective donors. This is not because there is genuine concern that offering compensation will reduce the supply of plasma available through “crowding out.” Nor is it because there is genuine concern that pharmaceutical products made from plasma from compensated donors would be of lower quality than those made from uncompensated donors. Instead, the objections to compensation are ethical: It is held that offering compensation to donors will subject them to coercion, exploit them, or preclude them from giving their informed consent to donate. This volume is the first to argue that not only are these objections mistaken but they backfire: Prohibiting donor compensation will coerce some donors, exploit others, and preclude them from giving their informed consent to donate.