Why Selling Kidney's Should Be Legal

Upon the age of turning 16 and filling out our driving permit forms, everyone must choose whether or not they would like to be an organ donor. However, this donation is for after death, whereas kidney donations can take place while you are still alive. There are thousands of patients that require kidney transplants in the United States, and not enough generous people willing to undergo surgery in order to provide these much needed organs. However, as Alexander Berger argues in this article, it would help to have a legalized market for kidney's. The surgery is simple and relatively pain free, and yet there are still not enough people willing to go through this surgery in order to save a life. However, if there was a kidney market where doner's were paid through Medicare or any other health service, then there seemingly would be many more individuals lining up to donate. And with more individuals lining up, it will inevitably lead to more lives saved in the long run.

As evident by the title, this article is an argumentative article where Berger's main point is to persuade people to both support his point and donate kidneys. However, he also uses other rhetorical techniques such as logos and pathos. His logos come into play when he states the many problems and restriction that do not allow certain patients to receive the kidneys that they need. He uses this logos in order to illustrate the "pros" that could come from a legal market for kidneys. Also, his pathos appeal is able to effectively fit in to his persuasive style. He describes the struggle and fear of the patients who may not receive what they need to survive, and this targets the emotions of his audience in a way that draws them to agree with his idea. Overall, it seems as if his argument was successfully defended and it seems as if he will be able to persuade a lot of people to join his push for a legal market.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/06/opinion/why-selling-kidneys-should-be-legal.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss