Organ Donation A new State of Wisconsin Senate bill asks voters to decide upon a program to compensate living organ donors who choose to donate one or more of their organs. The bill which would provide a fully refundable tax credit of $20,000 for donations is an add-on to the existing legislation passed in 2004 "which allows living donors in Wisconsin to receive an income tax deduction to recoup donation expenses like travel costs and lost wages" (University of Minnesots.edu. February 2004). The bill is not a unique one as other states have introduced legislation to provide some measure of financial support to living organ donors. An example is the recent "Pennsylvania gift giving program, awarding money to a living donor or to the family of a deceased donor that can be used for reimbursement of food and lodging expenses incurred during the donation process" (ABC News.go.com. June 16, 2002).

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With over 101,000 individuals waiting for an organ transplant according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) (Rettner, R. August 10, 2009), the consideration of lack of supply to fill accelerating demand brings the debate over payment to living donors to the forefront.
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According to UNOS, "the primary ethical dilemmas surrounding organ transplantation arise from the shortage of available organs" (University of Minnesota.edu. February 2004). Explicating the particulars of this statement is best framed in the context of kidney donation, as "not only is the need for this organ the greatest, but it is one of the few organs that can come from a living donor" (Rettner, R. August 10, 2009). The most recent data reflect that 16,000…