The human body as property: Policy implications for organ transplantation

Advancing technologies in the biomedical sciences have resulted in benefits that hold great promise for continued development in health care and scientific research. However, these advances, particularly in organ transplantation and research on human tissues and cells, have also raised a variety of ethical and legal questions. Some of the most troubling of these questions regard the acquisition and distribution of human body parts, and particularly questions about control and compensation with respect to the uses of the human body. These questions have received attention from philosophers and policy makers, among others, who are attempting to clarify the issues and balance the competing rights and interests of those people affected by these practices.