Rethinking the “Gift”

I study the problems of donation as practiced and propose policies to solve them.  

The way we talk about donation (“gift of life,” “priceless,” “heroes”) is intended to praise donors and encourage participation. But it also romanticizes and moralizes what is, in fact, an ethically fraught medical decision.

We think we’re protecting donors by relying on language—and not money—to persuade. This sense of security is false. Language has power beyond words.

A better policy? Donation framed as a civic contribution to the public good, accompanied by a service award (signaling recognition, not price).