THE ETHICIST TAP : {Q}

A 22-year-old in my family is being evaluated as a living kidney donor for a man he barely knows [ a colleague of his step father's ].

From what I can tell, the stepfather suggested him as the donor, and the process accelerated quickly from there.

This young person is kindhearted but somewhat vulnerable and eager to please. He has embraced this as a '' selfless act, '' but I worry that such framing combined with strong family encouragement, may be substituting for a fully independent choice.

There's been little discussion of the real costs - recovery, finances, longterm health - and I'm not convinced the. transplant team sees the family dynamics behind this decision.

At the same time, his father, in poor health, has told him to '' save '' the kidney for him - another form of pressure pulling in the opposite direction.

I'm not close to him, and I don't think he'll advocate for himself. This feels less like a free choice and more like a young person being pulled by competing agendas.

Is there a responsible way to intervene? Or is this something I have to accept?

{ Name Withheld. }

!WOW! will publish Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah's answer in the coming publishings.  

!WOW! Thanks The New York Times.