Each year, thousands of Americans die waiting for organ transplants. Healthy organs are valuable commodities. In many cases, organs are donated from people who have no chance of recovering from strokes, heart attacks, or injuries from bad accidents. Though they cannot survive, some of their organs may be transplanted to save others’ lives. In the United States, there are several factors that are used to evaluate who will receive a donated organ, including a match in body size and blood type, how urgent the medical need is, where the donor is located, and whether the recipient is still strong enough to adapt to the new organ. While the amount of time a patient has waited for an organ is a consideration, an organ is not always given to the person who has waited the longest.

In addition to medical factors and location, some people believe other factors should be considered as well. In 2001, Tadamasa Goto, a gang leader in Japan, came to the United States for a liver transplant at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center. His gang, a Yakuza gang called the Goto-gumi, was said to have engaged in theft, blackmail, assault, and even murder. Soon after he received the transplant that saved his life, Goto returned to Japan.

Later, the media reported that Goto had agreed to provide information to the FBI, allowing him to skip the standard organ recipient waitlist and receive a new liver. Many people were shocked and angry. Some felt that no one should be allowed to skip the waitlist because it is unfair to other patients and their families who have been waiting. Some even argued that he should have been denied a new liver because of his criminal activities.

Others believe it makes sense to offer special treatment to some people if there is a benefit to society, such as renowned medical doctors, peace prize winners, and political leaders. And since the information Goto gave the FBI may have saved lives and stopped more criminals, some people think it was fair for Goto to be given priority. In addition, people who support Goto’s transplant remind us that no one can accurately predict how a person will act in the future. While we might infer from Goto’s past behavior that he will continue his criminal activities, no one knows for sure. While Goto’s transplant was unique, some people object to giving liver transplants to alcoholics, for example, arguing that they will just ruin their new livers by continuing to drink. But others think that everyone should be given another chance.

Still, others believe that everyone should be given the same chance, regardless of their behavior. They believe that all patients should have the same medical rights, including Goto. They do not want medical practitioners to have to evaluate whether patients are good or bad people. Many religions and belief systems say that each person has intrinsic value, no matter who they are or what they have done. Doctors try to honor this intrinsic value by treating all sick people, even criminals, with equal care and respect.

What do you think? How should recipients of healthy organs be decided? Should we only consider medical factors, or should other lifestyle factors be evaluated as well? Should certain people be prioritized given their contributions to broader society? Or should everyone’s value be considered equal?