>Yes, I would buy a kidney. No, I would rather not sell mine.
That is the view of Singaporeans, at least going by a Sunday Times street poll of 100 people last week.
Only 13 said they would be willing to sell their organs if organ trading was made legal, but 60 said they would part with cash to get an organ if they need it.
Iran is currently the only country in the world where organ trading is allowed. Of the 100 people, 56 felt that Singapore's laws against organ trading should remain, 40 would like to see a review, and four were not sure.
A Straits Times online poll which ended last Thursday showed a similar split - 55 per cent of more than 3,000 votes
were for organtrading laws to be kept, while the rest wanted them to be reviewed.
The issue of legal organ trading is a complex one, judging by the responses of the people polled.
Said Mr John Tey, 29, a trainee doctor: "By selling your organs, your body becomes a commodity, and it's no different from prostitution really."
Teacher Debbie Chan, 23, felt that the poor would lose out if organ trading was legalised. "They might make money
out of it, but for what? At the cost of their own health?" she said.
But housewife Edith Chong, 42, felt that "since organ trading can save lives, it's definitely worth it".
Administrative manager Eric Ting, 37, said that it was more important to tackle the root of the issue: "If people know how to take care of their kidneys, then organ trading would be minimised."
In Singapore, offenders found dealing in the organ trade could face a maximum penalty of a $10,000 fine or 12 months' jail, or both.
This article was first published in The Sunday Times on July 6, 2008.
