Tissue as Property

Journal Article Excerpt

An Alternative to Property Rights in Human Tissue
by Margaret S. Swain, Randy W. Marusyk

The economy in the United States is a free market economy, the main idea behind the free market economy is to allow everyone to receive their fair amount of cash. This idea is being pushed into the legal system by patients who could have had monetary gain through research done on their own cells. But because the U.S. has not made any laws allowing the ownership of tissues, this is going to have to be pushed through the Supreme Court. Some people want only limited ownership, where they can receive money from the large amount that is usually gained through research on human tissues. Others want complete ownership where they can decide what can be researched with those cells, and how the money is distributed. In my opinion, we need to pass a limited ownership law that allows people to receive their fair share and still allow science to move unhindered.