bib entry

Koch,Tom.(2002) Scarce Goods: Justice,Fairness, and Organ Transplantation.

This book focuses on organ transplantation and the ethical dilemmas that surround it. The author is a bioethicist and journalist and found the topic of how organs are distributed to be very interesting. He notes that there are so many variables that are considered when allocating organs. Ethics play an important role, but the author himself feels that the way our current system works is somewhat unethical. He compares the current system to a lifeboat, where people have to choose who lives or dies. One comment he makes struck me profoundly, he says, "We sculpt a world in which altruism and benevolence become words used to seduce the poor into supporting the rich. With best intentions we ensure the continuation of scarcity that defines the limits of the lifeboat that carries us all." While no one wants to think about it but the author suggests that those that are of greater financial means are going to benefit from the current transplant system. He suggests that the current system is broken and just like seats in a lifeboat, it never can be quite fair how they are distributed.
I liked this book because the author was honest in the way he viewed things and was not afraid to speak out. I would like to be able to do the same as I write my paper. It makes me wonder if the stories you hear about wealthy people being able to buy their way to the top of the transplant lists are true. I agree that the current system is broken in a sense because it does not provide for every person who is waiting for a transplant, and people die every day waiting. The author never mentions financial compensation as a solution, but I believe he would view this as one more way for the rich to gain better access to organ transplants. This book gave me insight into my research topic that I hadn't considered before and therefore it will be beneficial to my paper.