Doin Time With A New Ticker By Steve Lopez

Steve Lopez is the son of a Spanish and Italian family and the author of Doin’ Time with a New Ticker. Lopez expresses his thoughts on social issues and has a deep understanding of the criminal system as well as healthcare matters. In the article, Lopez discusses the allocation of organ transplants to prisoners, and he argues that law-abiding citizens should be given priority over inmates when it comes to expensive medical treatments. Lopez also shares his personal experience involving his father and mentions a case where a California convict received a heart transplant. Lopez raises questions about fairness and the allocation of healthcare resources. I’m going to mention multiple parts of Steve Lopez’s article, the first being his perspective

I’m also going to talk about the limited availability of organs; this part is quite self-explanatory, but there’s a very limited number of organs that people can have, and Lopez expresses how there "were 4,119 people in this country waiting for a new heart that might save their lives." (188) The final thing I’ll mention is moral standing and merit. Lopez brings up the fact that prioritizing non-criminal individuals for a lifesaving procedure is justified. Steve Lopez uses ethos by sharing information through his personal experiences, and since he shares his father’s experience, we know that Lopez has dealt with the issue firsthand, which builds credibility for his claims. Lopez uses logos by using logical arguments, like how he talks about the cost of these transplants and highlights the importance of prioritizing these organs for people who are law-abiding citizens. Lopez uses pathos to evoke sympathy about his father’s situation since early on he mentions how "my dad has a heart condition" (187). Lopez uses the early part of his article to build up ethos, logos, and pathos, which I think works well since it makes the reader start to think right off the

Lopez argues that the current system does not prioritize those who contribute to the economy and follows a sentiment of fairness. Lopez uses his father as an example of this unfair system. "My dad has a heart condition, so I told him they ought to lay out some cash and get the best plan available" (187). Lopez goes back on his statement in the next line and says, "Now I realize it was bad advice. I should have told them to get a couple of Saturday night specials and start knocking off convenience stores" (187). The reason for such a quick change is because of the staggering cost of a heart transplant, which is "209,000 plus $15,000 a year for follow-up treatment" (188). Lopez found these numbers out from Landsberg’s story, and his major question is why this guy gets the "Cadillac of heart transplants" (188). While many Americans would need to take out a loan for this kind of surgery, a prisoner got it for free and got to reap the benefits of an extra life, while "4,119 people" were waiting for this possible second chance at life (188). This quote also addresses the limited availability of organs since there are so many people waiting to receive a new heart. Lopez also brings up the argument of merit and whether it matters. Lopez brings up another part of Landsberg’s story: "Should merit be considered a