Cash-for-kidneys tuition plan stirs ethics debate

Financial Aid & Scholarships
#1

<p>"Students short on cash for college should be able to cash in their kidneys. A Scottish academic raised a ruckus by making that proposition, insisting that overturning the UK's ban on organ-selling could be a twofer - letting hard-up college kids raise money to pursue their studies while easing the chronic shortage of donor organs.</p>

<p>'We allow them to burden themselves with these debts' to attend college, Dundee University's Sue Rabbitt Roff wrote in an article published in the British Medical Journal. 'Why can't we allow them to do a very kind and generous thing but also meet their own needs?'</p>

<p>Roff figures collegians should get around $46,000 per kidney. That's roughly the average annual income in the UK ..."</p>

<p>That's $92,000 of renal equity per student, if my math's correct.</p>

<p>Cash-for-kidneys</a> tuition plan stirs ethics debate - HealthPop - CBS News</p>

#2

<p>So would NYU cost a liver rather than an arm and a leg??</p>

#3

<p>"That's $92,000 of renal equity per student, if my math's correct."</p>

<p>If you sell BOTH Kidneys, I think "cadaver" is the word you are looking for, not "student". Or "dialysis patient"</p>

#4

<p>If <em>every</em> student had this automatic access to 46K for a kidney, you can bet the average COA for college would go up a corresponding 46K. (And of course, most of this new revenue stream for the colleges would go to luxury dorms and other non-academic nonsense.)</p>

<p>The problem is that when Federal aid (loans, grants) go up, colleges KNOW that this is guaranteed money and they demand it. </p>

<p>The kidney idea is horrible, though.</p>

#5

<p>There was an indepth article in today's news about the complications that often result to the donors of kidneys. The risks are often not fully explained to the donors beforehand.</p>

#6

<p>
[quote]
If you sell BOTH Kidneys, I think "cadaver" is the word you are looking for, not "student".

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Lol, Shrinkrap...I was thinking the same thing! I agree that this is an appalling idea, especially to bait the young and invincible student with. My stepD has twice been the recipient of kidneys, both times from close family members, and it is not something I would recommend anyone do for money...and certainly not such a relatively small amount of money. The operation itself and the recovery are serious and quite painful and surely the long term risk of having to live on dialysis for years should the remaining kidney fail far outweigh any short term cash need. Those who donate are angels in my eyes, but I'd hate to see a life lost in the process!</p>