ABSTRACT:The question posed by this article is whether or not an individual who wants to take all of his life would be assuaged by being asked to donate only an organ (e.g., a kidney). Tying in with ancient sacrificial rites, the hypothesis is offered that the giving of parts of oneself, including blood, can serve as an altruistic‐expiatory alternative to suicide, thus avoiding the twin tragedies of healthy people who want to kill themselves and sick people who, for lack of a single vital organ, have to di