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Morning Extra - Kidneys for cash & migrant worker exodus

Logo for Morning Extra - Kidneys for cash & migrant worker exodus

Would you be prepared to sell one of your kidneys for cash? Scotland's organ donation programme is in crisis: far more people need organs than there are donors. In a programme which is being shown tonight on BBC One Scotland, we follow one of our own researchers who made the decision to become Scotland's first 'altruistic donor' - i.e. she donated one of her healthy kidneys to a complete stranger in a bid to save a life. But do we need to go further and, as the Prime Minister argues, allow organs to be taken automatically from dead patients, unless they've opted out? The BBC's investigation uncovers a black market in kidneys here in the UK. Should we legalise this activity and allow people to sell their own body parts for transplant? Plus: Should we be worried about the exodus of Eastern european workers from Scotland? The Government's being urged to do more to avert a labour crisis in the Highlands as increasing numbers of migrant workers return to their homelands. More than 2000 people from Eastern European countries registered for National Insurance in the Highlands last year, but unofficial figures this year show that a quarter of them have left. Should the government lift restrictions on Bulgarian and Romanian labour coming into the country to plug the gap? Or should we be looking closer to home with many indigenous Scots either out of work or claiming benefit? Graham Stewart takes your calls, texts and emails.