I was talking to a few people the other day and the topic of selling blood and plasma came up (don’t ask me how). Immediately I commented how it would be pretty sweet to sell blood; it’s an easy 30 dollars that’s for sure. The one person then added how he sold his plasma a few weeks ago to help pay for his rent or something. As we continued discussing this fairly easy process for making some quick cash on the side, I found myself debating whether I would be able to do this or not. Sure it’s great to get some money, especially for someone as lazy as me, but then again I could be donating the blood for free instead. All of us were questioning the morality of this act of selling blood. When given the option of donating blood and doing something truly good for society, selling blood seems cheap, almost as if I would be selling a part of me. I then thought about how there has been an increase in women donating eggs. The increase in egg donors many believe is due to the poor economy and need of some extra money. They say it’s donating, but women earn often times up to $7,000 or more for one donation. Some women donate several times to help support themselves and their families. Many people view it as a win-win situation; they are helping out infertile women and benefiting from it as well. Others believe it’s immoral, almost as if these donors are baby factories.
Is this just an example of how no act is selfless, no matter how good it is? Or is it this a combination of achieving a goal for the greater good as well as for the individual?
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I think it can be looked at in both lights. In the situation of college students who our strapped for cash it seems to be a good idea to me. It helps students make it through college while helping out those who need the blood. However I can see it be a moral issue when people with no money issues sell blood versus donating it. It seems it highly depends on the situation.
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