Michigan man tries to sell kidney on ebay

DEARBORN, Mich. -- 'Tis the season to be shopping online, but you won't believe what a Michigan man tried selling on ebay!

On Thursday, Mohammad Tiba tried selling his kidney on ebay.

The ad read, "I am auctioning one of my kidneys. Yes, an organ. Both are in great working order and are still in my body. I am a 23 year old male with O+ blood type. Although I do not have diabetes or high blood pressure, I do have a family history of both. I have never passed a kidney stone. I do not drink but I am a smoker. If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to ask. I hope by auctioning my kidney that I could save a life. Final price and/or buy it now price do NOT include medical and travel expenses. Sale is not final and may or may not be approved by me. If I do not approve of the transfer of the kidney, you will be refunded minus eBay fee's."

In a series of tweets, he encouraged people to go to ebay and bid on his organ.

Later in the afternoon, ebay took down the ad.

According to the National Organ Transplant Act, a federal law, it is illegal to buy or sell organs . If found guilty, a person and can be punished with up to $50,000 in fines or five years in prison.

Tiba responded to the media by tweeting, "Here is my official statement to the media on my kidney auction." His full response is posted below:

"People die everyday waiting for a kidney transplant. Before the National Organ Transplant Act was passed, people could receive compensation for an organ THEY decided to give away. NOTA took away that incentive claiming that the government has a greater right on our bodies than we do.

Money is not the issue. In fact, I believe I am selling myself short considering that William Shatner sold his kidney stone for $25,000.

I do not intend of seeking attention. My goal is to change the law, as it was recently changed for compensation for bone marrow. If people can be compensated for their kidney, the wait list for a transplant would be significantly shorter than the 3-5 year wait.

eBay has recently removed my listing. I will soon repost the auction and find other sites to do the same."


He also tweeted, "Imagine the government said you could sell your car for profit and instead had to donate it or get a $50,000 fine/5 years #repealNOTA."

There is no word yet on whether or not police are involved at this time, or whether Tiba will face charges.


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