Still, the rights of patients to obtain compensation before removal of their tissues are legally constrained. The markets in blood products and gametes both involve the selling of renewable tissues; American law currently prohibits individuals from selling non-renewable tissues such as kidneys or other vital organs, even after their death. Again, the asymmetry between the rights of patients and those of medical institutions is striking; although patients may not sell their cadaveric remains, hospitals may sell donated body parts to contractors who process the bone, skin, heart valves, corneas, and other tissues into marketable products that bring thousands of dollars of profit to the hospitals and industry.
