Organs in exchange for freedom? Bill raises ethical concerns

By STEVE LeBLANC
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — A proposal to let prisoners in Massachusetts donate organs and bone marrow to shave time off their sentence is raising profound ethical and legal questions about putting undue pressure on people behind bars who are desperate for freedom. The bill may run afoul of federal law, which bars the sale of human organs or acquiring one for “valuable consideration” and faces a steep climb in the Massachusetts Statehouse. Critics are calling the idea coercive even as one of the bill’s sponsors says it is a response to the over-incarceration of Black and Hispanic people and the need for matching donors. Democratic state Rep. Judith Garcia also said Black and Hispanic communities are at higher risk for health conditions that might require organ donation.