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Previous Volume 356:1062-1066 March 8, 2007 Number 10 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Given the shortage of transplantable organs, some potential recipients are going to great lengths to find organ donors on their own. For example, a patient with advanced liver cancer advertised on a personal Web site, billboards, and in the media for a liver,¹ leading the family of a brain-dead donor to direct the donor's liver to him.² A patient undergoing dialysis solicited on a commercial Web site and received a kidney from a volunteer living donor.³ The solicitation for organs from deceased and living donors potentially circumvents the principles of justice and utility on which organ-allocation policies are based and . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Solicitation of Families of Deceased Donors

Solicitation of Living Donors

Arguments for and against Solicitation

Donor Autonomy

Is the Allocation System Fair?

Does Solicitation Increase Public Awareness and Organ Donation?

Does Solicitation Bypass Fair-Allocation Policies?

Potentially Discriminatory Practices

Does Directed Donation Favor Advantaged Persons?

Risk of Exploitation and the Buying and Selling of Organs

Does Solicitation Divert Organs to Unsuitable Candidates for Transplantation?

Conclusions

Glossary

Source Information

From the Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

Address reprint requests to Dr. Hanto at 110 Francis St., 7th Fl., Boston, MA 01742, or at dhanto@bidmc.harvard.edu.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Ross, E. (2008). The intersection of cultural practices and ethics in a rights-based society: Implications for South African social workers. International Social Work 51: 384-395 [Abstract]  
• Spital, A., Snyder, D. J., Miller, F. G., Rosenstein, D. L., Domingo, A. F., Salvana, E. M. T., Rady, M. Y., Verheijde, J. L., McGregor, J., Hanto, D. W. (2007). Solicitation of Deceased and Living Organ Donors. NEJM 356: 2427-2429 [Full Text]