Blood for Sale – Case Analysis PDF

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Jawan Ayoub October 8, 2018 BUS 186 Blood for Sale – Case Analysis 1) There are many moral issues in this case. One moral issue is that Sol Levin was creating a business from life-saving blood. He was buying plasma at $0.15 a pint a reselling it for $25 per pint to hospitals. He was putting profits over saving lives, especially since he was reselling at a price more than what is needed to pay for costs of plasma donation centers. The most important moral issue would be that by creating a market for selling blood or plasma, it ruins the altruistic aspect of blood donation. Blood donation should be an altruistic deed, not one based on “I give you something, now you give me something.” A market for blood donation supports Egoism. 2)  In regards to factual evidence about the effects of a market for blood donation, more people donate contaminated blood if there is a financial incentive vs. donating without an incentive. People with contaminated blood would not go out of their way to donate blood if there was no financial incentive.  Regardless of the effects, blood and plasma donation does have a market  Richard Titmuss showed that the British system is better than the American system in terms of blood distribution when there is no financial incentive. He states that a financial incentive system discourages voluntary donors. He argues that someone who donates their blood and knows that someone in turn is selling it, it will discourage them.  “When blood is a commodity, and can be purchased if it is not give, altruism becomes unnecessary, and so loosens the bonds that can otherwise coexist between strangers in a community.” 3) There are many people who can be harmed in the donation or purchasing of plasma. Of those that are harmed in the selling of plasma are hemophiliacs. Hemophiliacs have a blood defect which causes blood clots. Hemophiliacs rely on plasma because plasma is an anti-clotting factor. When plasma is bought and sold, blood prices increase which cause hemophiliacs to have to pay more money for life-saving blood. If blood was being donated instead, hemophiliacs would not have to pay much in order to receive that blood. The people on the other side of the blood donation process are the corporations that supply the blood units as a business aspect. If it became illegal to buy and sell blood, they would be out of business. 4) The government is the sole decision maker that has the power to make decisions in this case. Just like the government has banned selling organs, If the government banned the buying and selling of plasma, there would no longer be any companies buying or selling plasma. At least not legally.

Jawan Ayoub October 8, 2018 BUS 186 5) Just like donating blood is by donation only, I believe that the right thing to do is to ban the buying and selling of plasma. There could be small incentives such as a free movie ticket or free meal from a restaurant which is being done for blood donations, but cash incentives should not be allowed. Cash incentives should not be legal because it creates shortages in plasma due to individuals not giving plasma because “people are less apt to give blood if they know others are selling it.” Also, cash incentives should not be allowed because by the resale of blood, this increases the price of plasma which in turn creates a financial burden for those that need plasma as a lifesaving measures such as those with hemophilia. 6) Utilitarianism can best support my assessment. Utilitarianism is the moral theory that we should act in a way that produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people, and by banning the buying and selling of plasma, it will produce the greatest amount of good. If plasma were to continue to be bought and sold, there would be a shortage of plasma, and it would cause individuals in hospitals to pay more for the plasma they need. Also, contaminated plasma donations would be a common occurrence. However, if the buying and selling of plasma was banned, it would produce the greatest amount of good because then plasma prices would decrease and the donation of plasma would be done through altruism and not egoism, which is the moral theory based on self-interest, which is receiving financial incentives in exchange for a good deed. 7) An opposing view would be to continue the buying and selling of plasma. An opposing view could argue Kant’s moral theory which states that the “worth of an action is determined on the basis of good will.” This would mean that it does not matter about the consequences of the buying and selling trade of plasma sales, all that matter is that the selling of plasma would go to those in need. They would argue that even though plasma prices might increase, that at least plasma would be accessible to purchase and that even though the sale of plasma might lead to contaminated blood donations, that there would be screenings that prevent the plasma from reaching a patient. Those that support the buying of selling of plasma do not take into account that even though blood would be bought, this might not always mean that there will be enough of a supply of blood. The buying of blood leads to a lack of altruism which actually leads to less of donations of blood and plasma, therefore, donation of plasma and not the buying and selling of plasma, is the way best way it should be done. In conclusion, blood should be by donation basis and should not be bought and sold. This supports Utilitarianism by producing the greatest amount of good by keeping blood prices low and keeps a good supply of blood due to altruism remaining the key aspect to blood donation. The opposing view would argue that blood should be bought and sold because it keeps blood more accessible and contaminated blood would always be screened. I refute the opposing view by arguing that the buying of blood leads to a lack of altruism which actually leads to less of donations of blood and plasma, therefore, donation of plasma and not the buying and selling of plasma, is the way best route....