Posted by Eugene Volokh:
"Singapore to Compensate Kidney Donors":
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2008_11_16-2008_11_22.shtml#1227135374
[1]BioEdge reports:
Singapore is to allow compensation for kidney transplants and for
eggs. A government proposal has been approved by a bioethics
committee and legislation will be introduced early next year. The
committee declared that reimbursement for kidney donation was
acceptable as long as it is not "an undue inducement, nor amounting
to organ trading".
What exactly this means for kidneys is difficult to fathom.
According to the BMJ, a sum of S$10,000 [currently about $6500 US
-EV] was mentioned. According to the Straits Times, the health
minister, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, mentioned "at least a five-figure sum,
possibly even six-figure" as appropriate reimbursement. This would
include expenses, such as transport and medical costs, as well as
loss of earnings. Also, the donor should be covered for follow-up
medical costs and higher insurance premiums as a result of losing a
kidney....
The committee has recommended that the reimbursement scheme begin
with donors who are Singapore citizens and permanent residents....
I'm not sure that sums like these are adequate or fair, but it sounds
to me like a step in the right direction. For my thinking on the
subject, see [2]this chain of posts, especially those starting with
"Medical Self-Defense and Bans on Payment for Organs."
References
1. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/8361/
2. http://volokh.com/posts/chain_1162429015.shtml
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