Blood donation is a big deal at the company I work for. Some of the people I work with get really involved in planning committees and what not. Mainly I think this is because its a way to get out of doing actual work. But I digress. They do anger me though when I get grilled on why I don't want to freely give my blood away. Somehow, arguments like 'Why don't they just pay me for it?' come off as childish or greedy (in their eyes, not mine). That used to get to me, but now, I'm thinking differently.
Blood is one of the most important substances that my body makes on a regular basis. It takes time and resources to produce and its absolutely essential for my survival. Without it, I die, and without the proper time and inputs, it doesn't get made.
So why on earth should I freely give away my blood? If there's such a high demand for it, then how come there isn't a market for buying and selling it? There's markets for other necessities: food, clothing, shelter, gasoline, medicine. If we took it to an extreme, we could easily say that farmers should donate their produce, clothing companies their clothes, construction companies their nice new houses, etc.
Between people and blood banks, there is no traditional market, at least not in the sense that value is exchanged for value on a rational basis. The basis relied upon is some sense of civic, or even human duty, goodwilll, etc. And I'll bet dollars to dimes that blood banks don't donate their collected blood to hospitals out of the same sense of "duty to humanity". I know for a fact that hospitals don't donate it to patients either. If I remember right, a pint goes for a couple hundred dollars. Additionally, employers offer tiny perks for the service. In the military, we used to get the day off. At this company, we get a cute little pin to where. I'd prefer getting compensated for the blood my body has to do double duty to make up for.
Anyone know why a normal "blood market" doesn't exist. With all the fuss made over the scarcity of it, you would think someone would have said to hell with the good will, lets make some money off of it.
BTW, this is my first post.
Another URL about the stolen bone:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4552742.stm
"I'm most shocked... that my stepfather's ancient and cancerous bones should have been passed off as healthy tissue to innocent patients"
cherrydarkchocolate: You can use the "rationality" argument to argue why these laws should exist. They exist because there are people who think they are necessary. About hospitals buying blood - I think you will be surprised how readily hospitals buy organs or bits of bones that are falsely certified. OK the law still doesn't eliminated all criminals stealing bones and organs from corpses but a least they get the offended jailed. See the following news article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7192462.stm
You can use the "rationality" argument to argue why these laws should exist. They exist because there are people who think they are necessary. About hospitals buying blood - I think you will be surprised how readily hospitals buy organs or bits of bones that are falsely certified. OK the law still doesn't eliminated all criminals stealing bones and organs from corpses but a least they get the offended jailed. See the following news article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7192462.stm
And the market should, without current interferences in market operation, punish such hospitals. There are people who think alll kinds of things - there are even people who think governments are necessary! That's no argument.
JAlanKatz: And the market should, without current interferences in market operation, punish such hospitals. There are people who think alll kinds of things - there are even people who think governments are necessary! That's no argument.
So you think as long as these people find a different occupation and stop snatching bodies, that would be enough punishment for them? Just punishments from the market is enough, these folks shouldn't be jailed?
"Body was sold with plastic pipes instead of legs, ghoul admits"
cherrydarkchocolate:So you think as long as these people find a different occupation and stop snatching bodies, that would be enough punishment for them? Just punishments from the market is enough, these folks shouldn't be jailed?
Actually, I don't think any one belongs in cages, but you'll remember that this wasn't the topic under discussion, that was whether or not it is appropriate to shoot people for paying others for blood. And no, I don't think that is appropriate.
I am a regular blood donor, and everytime I get to the hospital the scene I come across is, even when people are ready to pay huge amounts for a particular group of blood, there is no blood available. The blood bank authorities are as careless as you could ever get. The last time there was a requirement for blood to help in a surgery, and the authorities were so frivolous that they just took my word on the group of my blood, and didn't care to make a cross-match before transfusion. That's how desperate things are.
So yes, commercializing blood donation can take us miles forward, but personally I'd like to add blood donation into my list of personal charity acts.