by Raina Jain

Posted on July 28, 2013

61-year old Gene Baker was waiting on the transplant list just last spring for a new kidney. The clinical psychologist had already accepted that he wouldn’t have long to live after the failure of his kidneys.

However, his luck turned as he got a new kidney last December from a stranger, a procedure nicknamed, an “altruistic donation.”

Altruistic donations come from a stranger who willingly donates their organs, with no benefits beyond coverage of medical costs. Although the number of deceased donors has stayed constant, the number of living donors has been decreasing. Altruistic donations seem ideal, but an ethical debate has arisen about whether these surgeries violate a physician’s promise to “do no harm.” However, for now, altruistic donations, which constitute around 3% of all organ donations, may be the only method of alleviating the decrease in living donations.

Kidney donations, specifically, can be donated while the donor is living. Although the procedure is risky, most physicians allow a family member to donate. The ethical battle begins when it comes to donating to strangers.

The surgeries are mostly laparoscopic, with full recovery within months. However, the 3/10,000 mortality rate acts as a cause for concern, as well as the 320 previous kidney donors who have gone into kidney failure.

Still, patients with kidney donors tend to live far longer than those on dialysis.

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” said Lori Anderson, Baker’s altruistic donor.

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