Would YOU sell your kidney?

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Would YOU sell your kidney?

Amused and horrified by the debate last week after Dr Sue Roff's comment that students should be paid £28000 for their kidneys to help pay off university fees.

Here are some of the responses I found online...

"An absolutely disgusting idea."
"I suppose the poor have got to be good for something."
"Remember, it's a capitalist country - we're all just commodities."
"This is the sort of plan the Nazis would have no difficulty with... ghastly and dehumanising. Is she maybe American?"
"I think more of these sponging student types should have to sell their kidneys."

I wish I had time to rewrite my comedy set for Tuesday. Priceless stuff.

In my book, The Donor, I explore the ethical messiness of the debate.

I don't think it should be a criminal offence to sell your kidney. But I'm pretty sure I'd never do it (mainly 'cause it's bloody and gutsy and painful and I'm too vain to have a scar). What do you think? Would you sell your kidney for dosh? How much would you want for it? And what would entice you? The trip of a lifetime? A better future for your kids? Scary money lenders? Some nice makeup?

Go on, tell me!

23 responses
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10 months ago LucaVeste (Twitter) responded:

You know...If it was a guarantee that I would survive the op etc I probably would for anything over £20,000. That's almost a years wage for our family at the moment, so it would be a massive amount of money for us.

But, there are no guarantees at all, so I couldn't do it.

10 months ago Helen FitzGerald responded:

What if I offered you 200k? (I'm not)

10 months ago LucaVeste (Twitter) responded:

£200K would be a lot to turn down. I don't think I could pass on that...

10 months ago Helen FitzGerald responded:

Sold.

10 months ago LucaVeste (Twitter) responded:

That must of been some first week of sales!

Is there anything people wouldn't do for that much money though? That's not life threatening to the extreme.

10 months ago Helen FitzGerald responded:

Lots of things I think. You are a dark devil. My son read this and said "but that would be like slavery." So 200k for a kidney - how much for an entire human being?

10 months ago bagpipe responded:

Aren't you now getting into your Italian husband's area of expertise! What's the current going rate for a hit? ;-0

10 months ago Helen FitzGerald responded:

Such stereotyping! Sometimes you do things for pure pleasure.

9 months ago Helen FitzGerald responded:

Hi Will - would you really? Such a drastic thing to do, with long term consequences. I couldn't do it just for money I don't think. Lots would though.

9 months ago Helen FitzGerald responded:

Oops Will I deleted your comment accidentally - can you post it again?

9 months ago will h responded:

I would sell one - try getting a job as a graduate at the moment (even with a very good degree). For architecture, what I did, there are 85 people applying for every job, and they instantly go to connected individuals. No hope. £60pw jobseekers allowance or £30k for a 99% safe operation, in my situation it's a no-brainer... I'm 23, worked really hard to get good qualifications, and all I have right now to show for it are debt collection letters from Natwest.

Slightly irrelevant to the topic, but a bank gives you a student account, you decide to do a postgraduate masters, and because you arent eligible for a student loan and the bank no longer does them itself, it closes your account and asks you for £2500 when you cannot get a job and you're having to pay your tuition fees upfront out of your pocket! Thats what students are facing, and £30k could fix all my problems...

I didnt intend on making this a personal response, but I think that the situations I am in are similarly affecting thousands of other students and graduates. No student in their right mind would get £30k and pay off their student loan at the moment, they would pay their student bank account off though!

9 months ago Helen FitzGerald responded:

Thanks Will - sorry about that. I deleted one from someone desperate to sell their kidney - didn't want to get involved - and accidentally deleted yours. Depressing situation after all the work you've done. I bet there are loads of graduates who feel the same.

9 months ago Helen FitzGerald responded:

I'm getting some really emotional responses to this post. Apologies if they don't appear here - this is such a fraught and difficult subject.

8 months ago Bryan responded:

Yes.... ! I am broke! lost my house. Got laid off. Been homeless for 3 months. Living in car. Thankful the car is old and paid for. If I could clear $50000 I would sell a kidney.

8 months ago VanessA responded:

I would sell my kidney for the right price, I have tried to donate a kidney to two of my friends but wasn't a match, I'm set up to donate everything when I die what's the harm in selling a kidney while I'm alive would make my life easier

8 months ago DS responded:

i will sell mine .. i am jobless i can´t find a job. i need money

7 months ago sashikant responded:

7 months ago RayM responded:

250k US

Pay off my house and couple other things, have enough for both my kids education. Of course I would.

7 months ago Alex responded:

I may sell my kidney soon for 200.000$, i got one offer which i am thinking about, surely if i was rich i wouldnt sell it but still i would be happy to donate it to a relative if in need. I think 200k for a human organ is not so much but who can say what is the right price for a part of you?!

7 months ago Rafa responded:

I went to an university to get an education in USA(Florida) and graduated. About a year after my graduation, I lost my job and used up all my savings to sustain myself, till I find or rather be given the opportunity to be employed and start up my life again. Because I life in USA, everything is run by what your credit score is and since I was not able to make payments, due to my financial constrictions, my credit was ruined by the big financial institution's negative reports.

Now I struggle in more ways than one. NO ONE hires anybody with bad credit, because employers assume the worst of you, not knowing what happened to me originally. Prior from this, I had an excellent credit history. I have called, to discussed possible solutions or other means to stop the never ending harassment calls and threats to collect their money, which includes taking money from your bank, property, or anything you may have.

What's is really worst, is that now I can't get hired for all the negative information, that educational loan institutions have been sending to the credit companies, have to pay money I don't have, all the doors all closed, I lost my apartment, about lose my car and more. SO! No one ignores the horrible situation, that millions of students like are going trough and yet NO ONE does anything about it to help us including the government.

I have consider selling my organs or give what is left of my life in order to be able to survive. This is very sad, but there aren't any other alternatives. I couldn't believe how many students are out there considering doing the same thing! What have society forces to become?

7 months ago Rafa responded:

I never thought, that I would consider selling any body part or organ of my body for any purpose, unless it was to save the life of a family member or something. However, little did I know, that my life will end up having so many upside downs, that now I am forced by the circumstances to consider selling one of my kidneys.
I went to an university to get an education in USA(Florida) and graduated. About a year after my graduation, I lost my job and used up all my savings to sustain myself, till I find or rather be given the opportunity to be employed and start up my life again. Because I life in USA, everything is run by what your credit score is and since I was not able to make payments, due to my financial constrictions, my credit was ruined by the big financial institution's negative reports.

4 months ago klausschumacher responded:

Noone would want to buy my kidneys - I have been doing dialysis myself for the past 4 years, already. Sure I bought the book because the subject is of some interest to me. To answer the question, even though it is hypothetical, in my case: NOONE should sell a kidney, never ever. But EVERYONE (in the countries where that is the legal situation) should carry a donor pass or whatever document makes it possible that in case of an accident both kidneys can be transplanted. One can live perfectly well in dialysis (I thought only in that detail the novel is somewhat incorrect. Dialysis is a terrible nuissance because you feel like you spend half of your life in a hospital (actually 8%). But most patients feel relatively well, can still go to work, do sports etc. So, one can very well spend 8 years on a waiting list - that is the German average waiting time and there is absolutely no need to spend huge money on a donor kidney. If only more people would carry that donor pass - then the waiting time would go down and that would really make a big difference.
By the way, in my dialysis center, there are at least two patients who do not even want to get a transplant, because they feel well in dialysis and fear that a potentially unsuccessful attempt with a new kidney is too risky. I wanted to add this minority view to the discussion. To Helen: my slight criticism does not mean I did not like the book, okay ? I still have to read the last 30 pages - which I will do right NOW !

4 months ago Helen FitzGerald responded:

Fascinating Klauss - thanks so much for commenting. I suppose a lot of my dialysis material was based on my sister-in-law, who was really unwell while she waited six years for a transplant. Her husband, my brother, found it really difficult too. But there are so many people waiting, and so many diifferent experiences, aren't there? I hope you enjoy the last 50 pages!

HELEN FITZGERALD - AUTHOR

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