Does technology make us better or only postpone our moral dilemma? The case of xenotransplantation

Abstract

Objective: Obtaining the adequate number of cadaveric organs for transplantation is an important public policy item. Traditional economic models assume that solution can be obtained by financial incentives. Critics of this approach insist that the market does not solve the problem, but state intervention does. Methods: This article presents Frey’s (1997) homo economicus maturus model, whose main merit is to show that both critics are incorrectly because individuals respond not only to monetary incentives in a positive way, as traditional models demonstrate, but they can also present adverse psychological reactions. This model is applied to the dilemma of organ donation with the inclusion of the technological factor, through the replacement of human organs by non-human organs (xenotransplantation). Results: The main result of the article is to show how a technological advance can improve well-being without changing the moral dilemma of individuals. Conclusions: The extension of the traditional economic model allows an analysis with new possibilities about technological changes and the moral dilemmas that they can bring.