Why nondocumented residents should have access to kidney transplantation: arguments for lifting the federal ban on reimbursement.

Overview

Current U.S. legislation restricts reimbursement for organ transplantation for nondocumented residents, which makes it difficult for many immigrants, including children, to access the transplants they need. In this article, we offer moral, economic, and legal reasons that nondocumented immigrants deserve the same access to kidney transplantation as do legal residents. We argue that the current reasoning for such a ban is based on unjustified fears and unsupported assumptions, which are not a solid basis for determining eligibility for lifesaving therapy for the neediest members of our society.