Federal ban on selling organs does not apply to sick children who need bone marrow transplants to survive,

A federal ban on selling organs does not apply to sick children who need bone marrow transplants to survive, the 9th Circuit ruled Thursday, finding that modern technology has made the once painful and invasive procedure little different than donating blood.
   
The ruling gives new life to the California-based nonprofit MoreMarrowDonors.org, which has stumbled in its plan to offer donors $3,000 "awards," such as scholarships or housing allowances, because bone marrow is classified as an organ that can't be legally bought or sold under the National Organ Transplant Act.
   
The nonprofit and a group of plaintiffs who have personally been affected by the ban challenged that classification as irrational and unconstitutional given a new, less invasive method of extracting marrow cells that has been developed over in the last 20 years.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/12/01/41879.htm