According to this article on msn.com, if I were a poor Indian I might only get $2500 for my liver. That's only a couple year's worth of income for those near or below the poverty line in India. It's sad, but I can understand the desperation. On the other hand, the rich folk who buy them and those that run the harvesting outfit should be punished,... severely.
But it got me thinking. What price would I put on my liver? A moot point since Ashley would never let me sell it. If not for her, though, I might consider it. It certainly would not be $2500. $10,000? Nope. I don't suppose I would even start thinking about it unless it bordered on retirement or estate quantities. In the end however, I don't think I could do it. At least not in my current situation.
I am not desperate. And that's what it takes to take chances like that. Given my very happy life, my lovely wife and my 1 & 17/18 kids I could never do anything to endanger myself, not even for Easy Street. It's unfortunate that so many in this world are deperate enough to sell organs, to cross borders and steal. I even believe that desperation plays a role in terrorism. I imagine when you have little or nothing to lose it is very easy to go to extremes.
Law enforcement, national defense and border patrols are all short term fixes for a broader problem of populations living in desperation. Fight desperation and I believe the other problems would shrink. Maybe I should run for president.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
How Much is My Liver Worth?
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4 comments:
Tyler, it won't let me click on the link so I can't read the article. However, I hope it mentioned that livers cut along the middle septum grow back. That is, the donor's body will regrow the liver. The recipient will only have the piece given.
All these presidential candidates are interesting to watch. Politics fascinate and terrify me simultaneously.
Yes. I almost included that point in my article, but hoped the readers would understand that I wasn't considering giving up my life, just a portion of my liver. Still, its risky and I wouldn't do it.
By the way, anyone have a plan to fight desperation? I need to mow the lawn and clean up the yard, but after that I'm free to work on some projects. Desperation might be a good one.
"Fight desperation and I believe the other problems would shrink." I agree with you completely (but you never thought you'd hear that)! You can't keep fighting the symptoms and ignoring the root cause.
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