Hello Everybody,   
      
   What is immoral about saving lives?   
      
   Pro-life Republicans claim to be pro-life.   
   Pro-life Democrats also claim to be pro-life.   
   Pro-life Independents even claim to be pro-life.   
      
   But everybody, regardless of party affiliation   
   or political ideology, says that selling body parts   
   is immoral, and that doing so should be illegal.   
      
   Christians, both Catholic and non-Catholic, say   
   it is immoral and should be illegal.   
   Muslims, regardless of sect, say it is immoral   
   and should be illegal.   
   Jews, of every persuasion, say it is immoral   
   and should be illegal.   
   Atheists and agnostics say it is immoral and   
   should be illegal.   
   Buddhists, Hindus, Jainists, and Taoists say   
   it is immoral and should be illegal.   
   Just about everybody in the whole wide world   
   says it is immoral and should be illegal.   
      
   But nobody seems to be able to figure out why.   
      
   I looked in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.   
   Nothing in there forbidding the selling of body parts.   
      
   I looked at every encyclical the pope has written   
   since Peter sat upon the chair.  Nothing in there   
   forbidding the selling of body parts.   
      
   I read the entire Bible from cover to cover,   
   including the Latin Vulgate.  Nothing in there   
   forbidding the selling of body parts.   
      
   Martin Luther got mad at the pope some centuries   
   ago.  Why?  He thought the church was selling   
   indulgences.  The pope denied it, of course,   
   saying it was a bunch of nonsense.  The church   
   would never do such a thing.  No profit in it.   
   But body parts, well, that was very much the   
   church's business.  Those relics do not come   
   cheap ...   
      
   Anyway, that is a bit off the subject.   
   Now back to reality -   
      
   I read a classified ad in the newspaper   
   the other day that literally blew my mind -   
      
   "Kidney, runs good, $30,000 or best offer."   
      
   This was a woman from St. Petersburg, Florida.   
   Said her name was Ruth.  Apparently, all she   
   wanted was some money, and selling a kidney   
   seemed to her an easy way to make some quick   
   cash.   
      
   I will not reveal her name (oops!) or telephone   
   number in this forum, although it can be found   
   in the classified ad.  I am not even going to   
   mention the name of the newspaper although it   
   would be easy enough for anybody to find out.   
      
   Not having anything else to do, and with no LSU   
   or Saints football game being played this weekend,   
   I decided to give her a call.  It was a short   
   conversation.  She told me she got a few serious   
   calls, but then the newspaper refused to run her   
   ad again, warning her that she might be arrested.   
      
   What gets me is why anybody would be willing to   
   sell a perfectly good kidney for a mere $30,000?   
   But then I remembered that people in Pakistan   
   and other parts of the world do this all the time,   
   selling a kidney for much less.   
      
   A few years ago a human kidney was offered on the   
   auction site eBay.  Bidding reached nearly six   
   million dollars (USD) before eBay pulled the plug   
   and put an end to that type of thing.   
      
   But what is so wrong about selling body parts?   
   Especially if those body parts are in perfectly   
   good working condition?  People are allowed to   
   donate body parts if they are dead.  Notice I   
   said donate, not sell.  As it is, people have   
   to wait until they are dead before they can   
   donate their own body parts.  Can't sell body   
   parts, even after you're dead.  Why?  Because   
   somebody else wants to make a profit on your   
   demise.   
      
   Why not sell body parts while still alive?   
   Whether it is your own body parts or somebody   
   else's, what difference does it make?  At least   
   people could get compensated for their own body   
   parts when sold to those who need them, or at   
   least to those who have the cash.   
      
   We have been taught to believe that selling   
   body parts is immoral, and should be illegal.   
   But what the heck is immoral about saving   
   lives?  Please somebody explain that to me.   
      
   Most Americans believe it is immoral to buy   
   and sell body parts of people.  I would venture   
   to say that most Americans believe it is truly   
   disgusting to buy and sell body parts of people.   
   But nobody has ever been able to give me a good   
   reason, or explanation, as to why they believe   
   what they do.   
      
   Americans *need* other people's body parts.   
   Americans know this, and accept this, as a given.   
   Transplants are common, and available, for even   
   those who are homeless.  Rich and poor alike   
   receive body parts, and millions have agreed to   
   become donors themselves.   
      
   Sixty thousand Americans pray for kidneys.   
   Even those who are avowed atheists.  Thousands   
   upon thousands of other Americans pray for other   
   body parts.  How much would those who could afford   
   to pay for body parts be willing to pay?  How much   
   should they pay?  Should only the indigent receive   
   body parts for free?  And what about waiting lists?   
   Why should there be waiting lists?  If somebody   
   has the money, and is willing to pay the price ...   
      
   --Lee   
      
   --- MesNews/1.08.05.00-gb   
    * Origin: news://felten.yi.org (2:203/2)