Organ Transplantation: Is the Best Approach a Legalized Market or Altruism?

More than 100,000 individuals are on the waiting list to receive a lifesaving transplant, but many of them will not receive the organ they need. Legislation has been passed to support organ donation-the current organ procurement system in the United States is governed by the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act of 1968 and the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984-but a shortage of donated organs remains. Potential solutions include a legalized organ market, expanded legislation, therapeutic cloning, and xenotransplantation. If no change occurs, the black market in organ procurement will continue to expand. A comprehensive approach consisting of both short-term (increased education and national paired-kidney exchange) and long-term solutions (expanded legislation to fund and promote therapeutic cloning) is presented in this essay.