Altruism vs. Financial Incentives in Transplantation Ethics

The metaphor of gift (“the gift of life”) has represented a dominant topic in transplantation ethics. It is based on the act of donating altruistically an organ, either after one’s death, or during one’s life. However, taking into account the current organ shortage, the idea of gift and the virtue of altruism have started to be discussed and problemiszed by several authors, who deem them insufficient for balancing the relation between sick patients and the number of available organs. Thus, various ways of financial compensations are advanced – from reimbursing some expenses, to the actual selling of organs. The paper will insist upon the limitations and ethical worries towards these alternativestransplantation ethics, altruism , financial incentives, case study, gift