A kidney can be taken safely from a living person, and can save the life of a dying patient. Given that the demand for kidney transplants exceeds the supply of donated kidneys, the law in the UK that forbids people to sell one of their kidneys should be abolished, because this would result in a greater number of successful kidney transplants. People are worried that it would involve rich patients exploiting poor potential donors. But selling one's kidney to support one's family is not very much different from supporting one's family by working in a dangerous occupation. Some patients have bought kidneys and received transplants in other countries, where the risks to their life from such operations can be great.