Chapter 9 Writing Assignment: The Market for Human Kidneys

THE MARKET FOR HUMAN KIDNEYS
The economic actors that are driving the trade for Human Kidneys are brought upon the supply and demand of Kidneys as a necessity. Since kidneys are among the few organs where living donation is feasible, this makes it one of the most popularly donated organ. Donating a kidney does not kill a person, and living with one kidney still allows for a life that is healthy enough, to live life comfortably, as one kidney adapts to the bodily demands. There are more people who are in need of kidney transplants, than the supply of available organs. In the U.S., it is estimated that around 16,000 kidneys are donated and transplanted each year. The supply of Human Kidneys is constrained by the law, which makes it illegal to sell kidneys, but legal only to donate. There is a huge gap between the supply and demand of human kidneys, and this actually affects the economy, when the cost and value are computed together.
Since the law prohibits the sale of kidneys, the people who donate it fail to receive the monetary equivalent or value that the market has allocated for the organs. This gives them a loss of surplus of about 320 million dollars. There is also no incentive for people who might supply kidneys, for they...