4 ms·

Don't homeless people in America sell their blood for money? Was a bit of a scandal when it ended up in my country. Might as well buy organs from the Chinese lo

Don't homeless people in America sell their blood for money? Was a bit of a scandal when it ended up in my country. Might as well buy organs from the Chinese lol.

cguess 4y ago
You can donate plasma for money, yes. It's not just homeless people, rarely it is. College students trying to make drinking money and such are very common. It's considered less exploitative because the cells are pumped back in, with just the plasma being kept for later use. You cannot sell whole blood donations though by law, that's all volunteer.
CapitalistCartr 4y ago
Yes, plasma. I did it when I was poor(er). It's hard as we age, but it pays.
- kulahan 4y ago
  I did this when I was young. I used to joke that all my furniture was paid for with "blood money". Years later I read a report that there were some negative side-effects being discovered for people who donated for very long periods of time, so I guess I'm glad I stopped. Looking back, the idea of selling body parts, even if it's "just plasma" still feels icky to me.
pkaye 4y ago
US is one of the 5 countries (US, Germany, Austria, Hungary and Czesh Republic) that pays for plasma donations. It represents 60%+ of plasma donations worldwide. Most other countries other than the 5 don't sufficiently produce plasma domestically to supply their needs and must import it. It appears some compensation is needed for people to donations sufficiently. The Plasma is broken down it various components used to treat all types of diseases. During the pandemic there were all kinds of worldwide shortages of plasma products because US plasma donations went down. Other countries should reconsider their approach to plasma donations to reduce risks of shortages. https://www.euractiv.com/section/health-consumers/news/us-blood-shortage-crisis-leaves-eu-patients-vulnerable/ https://www.euractiv.com/section/health-consumers/news/us-bl...

Don't homeless people in America sell their blood for money? Was a bit of a scandal when it ended up in my country. Might as well buy organs from the Chinese lol.

cguess 4y ago

You can donate plasma for money, yes. It's not just homeless people, rarely it is. College students trying to make drinking money and such are very common. It's considered less exploitative because the cells are pumped back in, with just the plasma being kept for later use. You cannot sell whole blood donations though by law, that's all volunteer.

CapitalistCartr 4y ago

Yes, plasma. I did it when I was poor(er). It's hard as we age, but it pays.

kulahan 4y ago
I did this when I was young. I used to joke that all my furniture was paid for with "blood money". Years later I read a report that there were some negative side-effects being discovered for people who donated for very long periods of time, so I guess I'm glad I stopped. Looking back, the idea of selling body parts, even if it's "just plasma" still feels icky to me.

pkaye 4y ago

US is one of the 5 countries (US, Germany, Austria, Hungary and Czesh Republic) that pays for plasma donations. It represents 60%+ of plasma donations worldwide. Most other countries other than the 5 don't sufficiently produce plasma domestically to supply their needs and must import it. It appears some compensation is needed for people to donations sufficiently. The Plasma is broken down it various components used to treat all types of diseases. During the pandemic there were all kinds of worldwide shortages of plasma products because US plasma donations went down. Other countries should reconsider their approach to plasma donations to reduce risks of shortages. https://www.euractiv.com/section/health-consumers/news/us-blood-shortage-crisis-leaves-eu-patients-vulnerable/ https://www.euractiv.com/section/health-consumers/news/us-bl...