But he said there is nothing wrong with helping people who make this choice on their own. We want people to be heroes, but we don't want them to be martyrs. Some contend government should pay outright for organs, given their incredible value, but Caplan and others worry that could erode support for donation and create situations in which people are pressured to donate against their wishes. More than 74,000 people await transplants, and more than 6,100 die each year waiting. The number waiting and the number of deaths have each more than tripled since 1990.
Most donations come from people who have died.
But in 1999, there were 4,712 living organ donors. Most of them donated one of their two kidneys, though donations of a piece of liver are becoming more common, with 218 in 1999. Only one kidney is needed for normal function, and the two pieces of a divided liver can each regenerate to become full livers. Under the national transplant network's rules, kidney donors who see their remaining kidney fail are given preference on the waiting list. Of the living donors, most are family members, principally siblings.