Organ Sales Will Save Lives By Joanne Mackay Analysis

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In the article, "Organ Sales Will Save Lives," by Joanne MacKay, is an informative essay that appeals to a readers emotions by raising awareness that there are thousands of people in the world that are in need of life-saving organs, specifically kidneys. MacKay does a fantastic job capturing the readers’ attention by describing the grueling dialysis treatments patients suffer from End Stage Renal Disease and the lengthy wait for a cadaver kidney donation. Unhappy with these options, many patients opt for a third choice which leads them into the pit which is known as the black market. MacKay’s description of the black market has the reader visualizing a run down slum with the surgery being done in a small filthy back room. The reason a patient …show more content…

(MacKay 120). MacKay describes dialysis as being , "shackled to a machine for the rest of their lives" (120) and her use of these words lets the reader visualize someone actually being shackled to a machine with death coming soon, unless they get a new kidney. It leaves the reader feeling that it is unfair and lets the reader feel the emotion and pain of having to endure dialysis for the rest of their lives. Matas agrees with MacKay because his research states that there is considerable evidence that shows that transplantation “significantly prolongs patient survival, as compared with dialysis” (2007).The reader is also able to feel the emotions of anger and sadness MacKay feels for the patients that suffer with kidney failure and the treatments they endure. According to MacKay’s research, in the year 2000, “2,583 Americans died while waiting for a kidney transplant” (120) and according to Matas, “over 6% of waiting candidates die annually” (2007). "With over 60,000 people in line in the United States alone, the average wait for a cadaverous kidney is ten long years" (120). As the reader can see, MacKay is very credible with stating factual statistics in regards to the urgent need of kidney donations and she has Matas to back her up with similar statistics. These statistics show the reader that MacKay’s argument is a strong