[Article: Weekend Australian March 10-11 p12:]
A proposition to give inmates of US state penitentiaries up to 180 days of their sentences if they 'donate' a kidney raises a few questions in the ethical and legal debates about the effect of giving a ‘valuable consideration’ for organ donation.

In Chennai apparently peasants are now selling their kidneys for about 3 years wages (500 pounds). In a world where many, many individuals have a super-indulgent level of wealth and many, many individuals are so compromised they end up selling their organs to survive, I have to ask, is it really ‘left-wing’ to say individualism has gone too far and communalism has not gone far enough?

I agree that the ethics of shortening a gaol sentence pivoting on selling a kidney are really questionable. This is totally unethical, left right or centre. If we start to play the game of "-isms", then we loose a commonsence or a common ground many share when it comes to ethics.

Whether the debate goes to individualism or comunalism, I think I know what you mean.

The value of human life must not be reduced below the obsession of the economy, greed and the stench of "the dollar" ruling our lives. Christians call enumerating human life to the point where numbers or bar codes on a body are a sign of satan. Socialists would refer to expoiting the body to capitalism. Post-modernists would deconstruct the power dynamics in situation politics. All philosophies share a common ethical premise that liase-faire liberalism denies.

Maybe this is why left and right can share common ground.

So where do they get the needed kindneys from? This is a question I simply don't know the answer to. Usually family and friends come to help out.

If these people that need kidneys and can afford to buy them, cant get a family member or friend to donate (maybe for the cost of the medical treatment), then I think that says a lot about the sort of people they are.

It works out quite well in China. So many are executed that it is possible to coordinate the operations with the executions so that the organs are quite fresh. You might also be able to get a discount coming in to holiday times, on the off chance that prison numbers need to be reduced so that there are adequate guard numbers. The prisoners consent forms are forged and their looted bodies cremated to hide evidence. Guards stand ready at executions with chokers to prevent the condemned from blabbing.

The recycling of life giving organs is the only good point of this. How many Australians have gone to China to have organs transplanted from executed criminals?

Then again, there is at least something that comes from this state sanctioned murder. In looking for examples of unnecessary brutality, I find this video of Japanese fishermen hard to trump. Totally sick.

http://www.glumbert.com/media/dolphin

But they don't just kill them they use the meat.
Is there any difference really in cutting sheeps' throats or twisting chickens' necks?

saintfletcher: "Whether the debate goes to individualism or comunalism, I think I know what you mean."

I cited this dichotomy on the presumption that if there were a more communal economic structure people would not be forced by economic pressures into selling their kidneys to strangers with money. However if we had a more communal economic structure we may also have a more communal social structure and those same people may find they have 'friends' (remember them?) who would actually donate, rather than sell, a kidney.

I have to disappear for a week pls excuse any delayed responses - poof!

Yes, from what I saw I thought there to be a great difference. Cutting a sheep's throat or breaking a chicken's neck seem markedly more humane than the brutal slaughter of dolphins as depicted. Have you ever wondered how great the step is between brutality to animals and brutality to other humans? The Anita Cobby killers practiced on a few animals first. Maybe it developed a depravity in them. Clearly, for humans, the degree of suffering inflicted on animals is voluntary.

I think that slowly but surely this insensitive conduct of the rich and the apparent abuse of their economic power [that is derived from the poor and a morally weak middle class ] will lead to a backlash against them.

The Deprived of the World see themselves as unfairly missing out on the benefits of Capitalism .

We already see the gated communities in Australia to where the rich retreat - insecure and unable to look the poor in the face anymore .

The Liberal and Nationals Federal Government makes sure they can get the benefits of low taxation while shielding their wealth from redistribution .

When A Man or woman sees they will get more money selling a leg to the rich rather than working for them for years for subsistence wages, the world is headed for rapid Social Upheaval and Change .