A new South Carolina bill could let inmates leave prison six months early if they donate a kidney or bone marrow. The bill, which was just approved by the state Senate's Corrections and Penology Subcommittee, would let the state's Department of Corrections decide which inmates were allowed to donate. The bill's main sponsor, state Sen. Ralph Anderson (D), said the six-month reduction would be "motivation" to get the prisoners to help save people on waiting lists.
But many legal scholars like Georgetown University professor of law Lawrence Gostin, have dubbed the bill "grossly unethical, if not unlawful." Gostin notes that prisoners, who have very little autonomy, are already excluded by federal law from participating in clinical trials, as they aren't in a position to make a free choice. Legislators, meanwhile, are not going to debate the bill until they determine whether such donations violate a federal law forbidding trading organs for a "valuable consideration." For more information: here's the Los Angeles Times piece
I have one question: what efforts will be made to make the prisoners well aware of the health consequences of donating an organ? I believe a majority of prisoners haven't crossed high school, and strayed away into crime. At the same time, some of the the most 'educated' people in a prison are those from Wall Street, and I wonder if any of them will participate in this offer. I am unsure about the kind of motivation this provides. Organ donation is a big and serious step, and I am in favour of the practice, but I also believe that the donor should not feel cheated by any health consequences.
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