Tweet-bate on the organ trade

(2010 Twitter)

The Economist, a respected global economics publication, tweeted on July 1 the announcement of their second Twitter debate entitled 'Should the trading of human organs be allowed?' scheduled for July 6 at 3pm UK time.

Here are the two sides as outlined by The Economist's Facebook event page:

FOR:
-There is a desperate shortage of organs. Around 1,000 people die in Britain alone each year waiting for transplants
- In 1988, Iran changed the law to allow people to sell their kidneys. Within three years, the country no longer had a waiting list for kidney transplants
- Banning the sale of organs drives the trade underground. That makes transplants riskier for both donors and recipients

AGAINST
 - The British Medical Association says that allowing organs to be traded would put pressure on poor people to sell
 - There are alternatives. Countries in which people's consent to donating their organs is assumed unless they opt out have shorter waiting lists
 - Legalising the trade in organs would turn the human body into a commodity. That is taking free markets too far

To tweet your position, follow @theeconomist on July 6 at 3pm UK time. The event is tagged #WDYS.

If you are not current on the organ trade/donor situation worldwide take a look at these articles:
http://delicious.com/wheredoyoustand/organtrading
http://www.emro.who.int/pressreleases/2010/no2.htm
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/what-are-your-organs-worth-1903552.html