View Feedback | Send this Article | Published 2/07/03

Graphic By: Baudi Ratcliffe-Hollins

Most individuals would think twice before donating an organ for money. An increasingly popular trend that is not as severe as organ donation, but has some people concerned anyway, is plasma donation for cash compensation.

Plasma is a component of blood that is drawn from the body separately than the Üred¯ blood that is commonly donated. Plasma is used to treat patients suffering from hemophilia, primary immune deficiencies, hypovolaemia, as well as during surgeries. Plasma cannot be collected at the same time as Üred¯ blood donations; it is an entirely separate procedure. Therefore, there is often a deficit in the needed supply. Several medical companies own and operate plasma donation centers where donors are paid.

Aventis Bio-Services operates one of these paying plasma donation centers in Roanoke. Donors can answer a short questionnaire, have a physical examination, donate plasma, and walk out of the center with cash in hand. Aventis recently ran an ad in the ÜBear Cash¯ coupon booklet advertising that donors can earn up to $270 a month for their donations. The Aventis web site offers a list of accomplishments made possible from plasma donations and a list of reasons to donate including having extra cash, getting paid for good deeds, and simply that it is the right thing to do. The web site also has a list disputing frequent misconceptions about plasma donation centers that pay addressing concerns of safety, quality, and care.

These paying donation centers unsettle some individuals and organizations. Tacy Newell-Foutz, a member of the Montgomery County School Board, isnät fond of these centers. ÜThey prey on people that are disadvantaged in the first place,¯ she said, Üpeople that canät afford food and other necessities.¯ She fears that combining frequent plasma donations and a lack of food and shelter can be a potentially dangerous mix. Newell-Foutz also said that people who donät need the cash donate plasma at non-paying centers such as the American Red Cross.

Plasma donation is an unlikely topic for controversy, considering that it is an act that helps save and better thousands of lives. The lines have been clearly drawn in this debate; some feel the need for plasma donation warrants cash compensation as incentives for donors while others are concerned that these centers target less fortunate and high risk individuals. Regardless where a person falls within this debate the need for plasma donations is growing and the benefits of these donations are undeniable.