# MA legislators propose letting prisoners donate organs in exchange for reduced sentences **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 1, 2023, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136 "2023-02-01T03:06:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/61 "2023-02-03T11:59:38Z")
> [@Bootb](#): > > You must be an atheist, to equate “person” with “dead body parts.” Nobody who believes in any sort of after-life would do that. I just want to make sure you understand what’s happening. This isn’t a program where a prisoner becomes an organ donor after they die and gets time off for good donation. This is program where a prisoner agrees to give up a kidney or part of their liver (or their eye?) in exchange for a reduced sentence. Is that clear to you? ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/62 "2023-02-03T13:12:38Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > This isn’t a program where a prisoner becomes an organ donor after they die and gets time off for good donation. You would think that would be obvious, since death is already a way of getting out of prison, you don’t need to also agree to donate your organs. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/63 "2023-02-03T15:14:30Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > I just want to make sure you understand what’s happening. This isn’t a program where a prisoner becomes an organ donor after they die and gets time off for good donation. This is program where a prisoner agrees to give up a kidney or part of their liver (or their eye?) in exchange for a reduced sentence. You must let the Invisible Hand of the Free Market enter your body and soul ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/64 "2023-02-03T15:38:23Z")
Why stop at prisoners? Your kidneys aren’t healthy enough to be donated? Maybe your son has two perfectly good ones. Maybe if he ever wants to see his dad again, he donates in your place. A good deed is a good deed, right? Maybe if your son _and_ wife each donate a kidney, you get out right away. Maybe it doesn’t even need to be a relative. Maybe if you’re a wealthy criminal you can just pay a few desperate people to donate a few organs on your behalf. Look at you, facilitating so many good deeds! ---
**Author:** ![lum\_s\_husband](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lum_s_husband/32/3698_2.png) [@lum\_s\_husband](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lum_s_husband)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/65 "2023-02-03T16:41:39Z")
1. Bootb is a jackass 2. This is an awful idea 3. The pearl clutching is ridiculous 4. Bootb is a jackass ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/66 "2023-02-03T16:59:10Z")
Would never happen… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LvXUzpYRfVU/maxresdefault.jpg "Kids For Cash: Inside One of the Nation's Most Shocking Juvenile Justice Scandals (Part 1 of 3)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvXUzpYRfVU) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/67 "2023-02-03T17:07:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@Bootb](#): > > > > You must be an atheist, to equate “person” with “dead body parts.” Nobody who believes in any sort of after-life would do that. ⁢ > > You think that the people in prison are dead? ⁢ To be fair, when I hear “donate organs,” I assumed they meant signing up for a donor registry after they died. That’s the way I usually hear “organ donator” used. I actually didn’t realize my mistake until I saw Beau of the Fifth Column’s video about it. Which I want to link here because I think it might help the conversations. For @Bootb, I think it might help them understand the objections. For others, it goes over stuff I haven’t seen mentioned here. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8RD9MxMrIMU/maxresdefault.jpg "Let's talk about legislation in Massachusetts and ethics....") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RD9MxMrIMU) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/68 "2023-02-04T00:46:32Z")
In related news, here’s a medical journal floating the idea of using braindead women as incubators like the axolotl tanks in Dune. > **[Medical Journal Floats Concept of Using Braindead Women As Surrogates Through...](https://reduxx.info/medical-journal-floats-concept-of-using-braindead-women-as-surrogates-through-whole-body-gestational-donation/)** > > An entry from the Journal of Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics is prompting outrage from women on social media after theorizing that the bodies of vegetative or braindead female patients could be utilized as “whole body gestational” surrogates. The... ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/69 "2023-02-04T00:51:44Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > using braindead women as incubators like the axolotl tanks in Dune. What an age of ~~wonders~~ horrors we live in ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2023, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/70 "2023-02-12T13:16:53Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > In related news, here’s a medical journal floating the idea of using braindead women as incubators like the axolotl tanks in Dune. Or the breeding “stumps” in _Hellstrom’s Hive_. ETA: Hey! I was just reminded that Frank Herbert wrote that, too! ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2023, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/71 "2023-02-13T11:56:54Z")
To tangent off both the “braindead women” story and the organ one-what if I could grow braindead people for parts? Would posters agree to it? Assume they’ll never and could never achieve sentience or even awareness. I don’t agree with either of the referenced stories, and I DO agree that organ donation should be the default unless opted out. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2023, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/72 "2023-02-13T13:59:33Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > what if I could grow braindead people for parts? Would posters agree to it? Assume they’ll never and could never achieve sentience or even awareness We’re headed there, but not with braindead people; I think the idea is to use genetically modified pigs, with your DNA being used to grow a custom organ inside the pig. Hijack: I don’t think braindead women are the way to do the gestational thing - there are a whole host of issues there. But I do think that we should be looking much more heavily into the sort of technology that would let us grow babies outside the body. Obviously, start with livestock first, and don’t move on to humans until we can reliably grow all sorts of animals in artificial wombs. There are big implications for endangered species as well. Women still die giving birth every day - not in large numbers, but on a daily basis, and obviously it’s an unimaginable tragedy every time. And, if we could safely and reliably do it, there would really be no reason not to. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2023, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/73 "2023-02-13T14:50:56Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > But I do think that we should be looking much more heavily into the sort of technology that would let us grow babies outside the body. Perhaps using botany. Like trees? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2023, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/74 "2023-02-13T14:52:42Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Perhaps using botany. Like trees?. Not sure if that’s a reference to something, but no, I don’t see how trees would help. More like this: > **[Artificial womb technology and the frontiers of human reproduction:...](https://jme.bmj.com/content/44/11/751)** > > In 2017, a Philadelphia research team revealed the closest thing to an artificial womb (AW) the world had ever seen. The ‘biobag’, if as successful as early animal testing suggests, will change the face of neonatal intensive care. At present,... ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/75 "2023-02-13T15:38:36Z")
That is quite interesting! I was making a silly reference to the old idea of finding a child under a cabbage leaf. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2023, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/76 "2023-02-13T17:23:36Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Perhaps using botany. Like trees? You are clearly ignorant of plant science. Babies are best grown in hydroponic cabbage patches. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2023, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/77 "2023-02-13T18:00:00Z")
Newsflash: The world is not that desperate for more methods to create babies. Our world population is unsustainable as it is. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/78 "2023-02-13T18:01:08Z")
I wonder what makes you think that this is about producing higher quantities of babies, rather than reducing the suffering caused by the natural method. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2023, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/79 "2023-02-13T18:30:27Z")
The world population has about doubled since my birth. It’s expected to get to 11 billion before the end of this century. However, while population continues to grow, the rate of growth is slowing, and I’ve read some speculation that we might peak at the end of this century and begin to decline after. I’m sure I’ll be dead long before so whatever, no soylent green for me. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2023, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136/80 "2023-02-13T18:31:51Z")
I strongly suspect that any research in the area of baby incubators is done for the benefit and convenience of very rich people, and has little to do with “reducing the suffering caused by the natural method.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ma-legislators-propose-letting-prisoners-donate-organs-in-exchange-for-reduced-sentences/979136.md?page=5)