Recently, Shenandoah University’s Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business hosted a lecture by author and leading authority on the ethics of organ procurement, Sigrid Fry-Revere, J.D., Ph.D., about her new book, “The Kidney Sellers.” As of January 2014, more than 90,000 Americans waited for kidney transplants. Of that number, 20 to 30 die each day because they cannot get a transplant. Dr. Fry-Revere is the first Westerner to interview kidney sellers in the only country in the world that claims to have solved its kidney shortage — Iran. She spent two months interviewing and filming physicians, kidney recipients, kidney sellers and others without permission of the Iranian government. She shares her discoveries in her book, “The Kidney Sellers,” a book that is part diary of living in a dangerous country, part ethnographic essay and part tale of people working together to overcome death and financial ruin. Her stories are shocking, thought provoking and true.
Fry-Revere spoke to a crowd of more than 60 Shenandoah University students, faculty, staff and several community members. The lecture defined the current reality facing kidney disease patients in the United States. Fry-Revere told stories of individuals in the United States battling for survival in a life ruled by dialysis. She also spoke of a personal friend who died while waiting for a kidney — a kidney that she was willing to donate, but could not due to the cost of surgery and recovery. In the United States, it is against the law for kidney recipients to help cover a donor’s financial obligations while they recover from surgery.
The second part of the lecture focused on Iran and its evolution from a system of cadaver organ transplantation to one of live, compensated donation. Fry-Revere spoke about how the kidney procurement and transplant procedures varies across Iranian provinces. She explained that some of the provinces possess the infrastructure, systems and processes to bring donor and recipient together in a winning and mutually beneficial manner. Ultimately, Fry-Revere wants American lawmakers to realize that the current system in America is not working. She argues that we must explore success wherever it is, even if that means looking to Iran as a guide.
The lecture concluded with questions from the audience that addressed subjects such as governmental power, the procurement of organs from deceased citizens, the economic functioning of a compensated organ market and differences in the cultural and religious interpretations of altruism. Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business was proud to help facilitate the ongoing discussion of such an important topic.