The bidding for a human kidney offered on the Internet auction site eBay hit $5.7 million before the company put a stop to it yesterday.
eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove said he had no idea if the offering was for real, but the auction was stopped because the seller broke
eBay's rules outlawing the sale of body parts.
Selling one's own organs is also illegal under federal law. It is punishable by up to five years in prison or a $50,000 fine.
"Any time you have an open trading environment with almost 6 million registered users, you're likely to see somebody who tries to bend the rules, or to pull a prank on their fellow users," Pursglove said.
The seller, identified as "hchero" from Sunrise, Fla., started the bidding at $25,000 on Aug. 26.
The description read: "Fully functional kidney for sale. You can choose either kidney. Buyer pays all transplant and medical costs. Of course only one for sale, as I need the other one to live. Serious bids only."
Dr. Thomas Reardon, president of the American Medical Association, said he was taken aback when he heard about the kidney auction.
"Wow. Well, first of all, I'd question the ethics of any doctor who would participate in that kind of transaction," Reardon said.
eBay spokeswoman Jennifer Chu said last night that the online auction has rules about what can be listed for sale, but has no screening process.
eBay rules forbid users from listing illegal or inappropriate items, including guns, body parts and Cuban cigars, Chu said. She said eBay
believes the seller may have been joking and she hinted that further action by eBay may be forthcoming.
Thousands of patients die waiting each year for transplants. Of transplantable organs, the greatest demand is for kidneys, with more than 40,000 patients waiting for a transplant, according to estimates from the United Network for Organ Sharing.
