May 23, 2006

Should Kidneys Be Sold or Only Donated?
May 23, 2006; Page A17

Mr. Epstein offers excellent arguments for a financial market for human organs. It is deplorable that our government has outlawed such a market, and instead authorized a mysterious bureaucracy, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, to decide how and when organs can be obtained by any individuals. No such politburo can be trusted to properly weigh all of the costs and benefits to the unique parties involved in any organ donation. We can certainly do better: Let the market work.

David Bookstaber
Berwyn, Pa.