In his Dec. 29 op-ed column, “When the science trumps the law,” George F. Will stated that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit “did something right when it held that bone marrow donors can be compensated.” While the court’s decision permits, but does not require, compensation in certain instances, compensation poses serious health risks for patients and donors.
First, donors motivated by payment may withhold health information that would make them ineligible to donate safely. Mr. Will also suggested that apheresis, a newer stem cell extraction technique, has replaced aspiration, a technique that draws marrow directly from a donor’s hip bone. However, this assertion is medically inaccurate — nearly 24 percent of donations occur through aspiration, as apheresis is not always in the patient’s best interests.
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