# Ending the organ trade: an ethical assessment of regulatory possibilities

## TL;DR

This paper explores ethical and practical ways to stop the illegal trade of human organs by reducing demand and supply.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a typology of regulatory approaches to end the black market for human organs.

## Key findings

- 10% of kidney transplants from living donors involve illegal payments.
- Reducing organ shortages and alleviating poverty can help minimize organ trade.
- Disincentivizing brokers and medical facilitators is crucial to ending the trade.

## Abstract

While the trade of human organs are illegal and widely condemned, a black market flourishes. Estimates indicate that 10% of kidney transplants from living donors involve illegal payments to the kidney seller. This paper presents a typology for approaches aimed at curtailing the black market in human organs. The policies are evaluated from two perspectives: their ethical permissibility and their expected efficiency in ending and minimizing the trade in human organs. To end or minimize organ trading, we must reduce the organ shortage in order to reduce demand for organs, alleviate poverty to reduce the supply of organs, and disincentivize brokers and medical facilitators through a concerted effort to reduce the profit rate of the international organ trade.