Should Human Hearts Be Auctioned Off?

Think of everything in America that you can get at no cost. Air? Freedom? How about human hearts?

It's estimated that up to 50,000 people around the world are on the waiting list for heart transplants, yet only 5,000 surgeries are performed per year. The fact is, there aren't enough hearts for everyone. Some people will die because they don't get hearts. How do we choose who will get a heart? Should money be an issue? Ultimately, should the highest bidder get the heart?

This is something that's personal for me. My little cousin was born 10 months ago with a serious condition that required a heart transplant. She is my aunt and uncle's sixth child, so they have a lot of expenses. Their oldest just graduated this year. They have to travel 500 miles to get to the hospital with the baby's primary doctors. Along with all of her medical expenses, there are five other children, travel expenses, along with a college student. I don't know if Aavah would've gotten a heart if it'd simply been auctioned off. And I don't particularly think that would be a nice feeling as a parent, knowing they're selling parts of my dead baby to the highest bidder. I can understand compensation, making the transplantee or the parents pay a fee. But I don't think it's a good idea to sell parts of humans; we wouldn't sell live, whole ones.