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Surprising Science —

Cash for Body Parts?

A British bioethics council is asking the public whether it’s ethical to use financial incentives to encourage people to donate organs.
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A British bioethics council is questioning the public about whether it’s ethical to use financial incentives—like the payment of funeral expenses—to encourage people to donate organs. The council also is weighing the idea of giving donors priority if they themselves need an organ transplant later in life. The question is in response to a demand for organ donors that has far outstripped supply.

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