But prison inmates in South Carolina better be careful about saying, "I'd give my right kidney to get out of here," because the state just may take them up on it, according to a story in the Los Angeles Times.
Actually, it's just a proposed bill before the state Senate at the moment. But how much freedom is a kidney, or bone marrow, worth? A month? Three months? Inmates could get up to six months off a sentence for their "generosity" under the bill.
On the other hand, the idea of the state offering a benefit for a prisoner giving up a body part, "violates every ethical value I'm aware of," says Lawrence Gostin, a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center.
Meanwhile, legislators will not debate the measure until they figure out whether exchanging prison time for body parts violates federal law. That probably would be good to know.
