Facebook Inc. took a momentous action last week. And I don’t mean its announced intention to sell shares for $28 to $35 in an initial public offering later this month.

We should offer well-informed individuals a reward if they are willing to save a stranger's life.

Roughly 10% of all organ transplants in the world are obtained on the black market. A new investigation by puts a brutal face on that underground world.

In October of 2009, Kumud Majumder, the father of an 11-year-old son with advanced leukemia, joined a lawsuit challenging the federal ban on compensating bone-marrow donors. He wanted to save his son's life. Last week Mr. Majumder and his co-plaintiffs enjoyed a victory. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the majority of bone-marrow donors may lawfully be compensated.

Informed, willing and healthy prisoners should not be deprived of the opportunity to help the sick while improving their own prospects once they are free.

When Altruism Isn't Enough explores the key ethical, theoretical, and practical concerns of a government-regulated donor compensation program.

China is proposing forward-thinking transplant policies that offer to pay organ donors. These proposals challenge the status quo, however if China is serious about creating an incentive program, transparency and accountability will be vital to its integrity and safety.