Organ Trafficking : The Disturbing Power Of Money

The need of human organs for transplantation increases every single day and every passing month. Thousands of people are on the waiting list hoping for a chance at a new life. Unfortunately, the supply of available organs through organ donations is not able to provide for the growing demand of organs. According to a research conducted by the Hasting Center, “there are close to 100,000 people on the waiting list for a kidney, heart, liver, lung, and intestines, the pressure to find ways to increase their supply is enormous (Capland, 2014, p. 214). The shortage of human organs is leading people to participate in unethical acts. The pressure of finding available organs has resulted in healthcare professional and

The buyer needs an organ. The seller needs cash. Two sides of the same coin, both parties are fueled by desperation to survive. With only one country in some way regulating its organ market economy (Iran), all other sales occur in the ever-expanding illegal trafficking network on a global scale. The World Health Organization defines organ trafficking as:

In 1984, China enforced the “Organs for the Corpses of Executed Prisoners”. The new law provided that the remains of prisoners or organs of executed prisoners could be harvested if no one claimed the body, if the executed prisoner volunteered to have his remains to be used, or if the family agreed to donate them. China has zero tolerance for crime. In the past years, individuals have been executed for petty crimes that would barely justify a prison sentence such as theft. Amnesty International asserts that the Chinese government is performing executions to expand the organ trade from executed prisoners. According to witnesses in China, criminals are regularly examined to select matches for waiting patients. One prisoner, during his seven year jail term, told how he saw a great number of prisoners being medically prepared for organ removal. Even though it is legal in China most of the world has taken steps in trying to make an effort to stop human organ trafficking. Doctors that perform these illegal

isn't strong enough to stop it("Worst country"). The United States is one of the largest

In recent years, the topic of human trafficking – or modern day slavery as many call it – has captured the attention of the American public. Realizing that slavery, a problem thought to have been fixed a century ago, was still growing rampant in the world, Americans became indignant. As a result, countless campaigns, fundraisers and organizations have been formed to try and alleviate the problem. The type of trafficking that scares the population the most would be the sex trafficking of thousands of women and girls each year. However, other forms of human trafficking such as forced labor and trafficking humans for organs, are just as big an issue in America, as well as throughout the entire world.

Organ trafficking is an illegal act that occurs globally. Traffickers are taking organs out of people using unhealthy medical procedures that cause serious health problems in many people in countries all over the world. Money is a strict motivation that keeps this black market running and increasing due to the disproportionate ratio of organs needed to survive, and organs available to transplant. There are many arguments revolving around the issue of organ donation in terms of ethics, limiting the ways people can donate. There is a very long process one would have to go through if considering donation, including a psychological examination in addition to the first part of the process to determine if the organ from the donor is a match for the recipient. Selling organs for profit is considered unethical as society views organ transplantation as an act that should be an altruistic donation, meaning that donations should be done without profit. Although there are laws restricting the act of organ trafficking, it is a growing industry because people do not understand the gravity of the damage being caused to targeted individuals and the community. In order to make a global change to put an end organ trafficking, people unaware of the activity should be educated of the act and the negative consequences it can have on multiple levels of the community. Organ trafficking can hurt an individual physically, mentally and financially

(Kelly, 2013, p.1323) According to Kelly (2013) “the shortage drives desperate patients underground when established wait lists fail to meet their needs” (p.1322). These dangers have not only affected those giving or receiving organs, but have affected innocent adults and children. August 27, 2013 the DailyMail.com published a story about a six year old Chinese boy. The boy was taken from his yard and was taken to unsanitary conditions to be robbed of his eyes so the organ traffickers could sell the cornea of his eye. The problem with the sale of organs being illegal does not just stop at being dangerous; but does not allow the person to exercise their right of being free to do as they wish with their body. There are several dangerous and concerning problems that have been caused by illegal organ sales. The dangerous problems caused by organ sales being illegal may be reversed by legalizing organ sales with strict laws protecting donors and

Every teenager wants to own the newest iPhone or iPad but to save up for those working at the local McDonald’s it would take some time. But in China, you can get it just by selling a kidney. In face according to a BBC news article dated April 6, 2012 five people were arrested for convincing a teenager to sell his kidney in an online chat room for the equivalent of $3,000. The teenager is now suffering from kidney failure, and just for a couple of new toys. The New York Times states on June 29, 2012 that only 10% of the global needs for organ transplantation are being met. The UK Telegraph of May 28, 2012 states that experts are saying that a rise in diabetes and other diseases has led to the

In these short paragraphs, the politicians and countries will discuss different political views on the topic: Organ Trafficking.

In the last essay, that I wrote about was an overview of the topic of organ trafficking.

Opening the door to people being able to buy organs for transplantation if they would not be able to receive an organ by waiting their turn through the national database, only sets the tone for the harvesting of organs.

One problem with the organ market is the problem of pricing organs. Pricing organs could be a very difficult process. Organs are part of the human body, and it would be immoral to price humans, and thus difficult to price body parts accordingly. In order create market incentive, the price of organs would have to be significantly high to exceed the cost of the operation. Consequently, high priced organs would be quite expensive for consumers. It is most probable that if one is in need of an organ donation, then they already have many medical bills to pay. For the average citizen, purchasing an organ while being charged for other medical services will be overall very costly. If organ retail becomes legal, insurance will not cover purchasing an organ from a private party due to lack of verification. Organs must be distributed to those in need, not those who can afford them. In order for the organ market to be fair to recipients, the government must implement a price ceiling, and to be fair to recipients, the government must implement a price floor. A price ceiling would set the maximum amount organ

The ways organ trafficking could be stopped is by enforcing the current laws in the Middle East and Central Asia to prevent sales from happening.

The legalization of organ sales has been proposed as a solution to two distinct problems. The first is the problem of illegal organ trafficking and the second is the problem of inadequate supplies of organs available for transplants. Gregory (2011) outlined the case for legalizing organ sales by arguing that the current shortage of organs fuels a black market trade that benefits nobody except criminals. He further argues that such a move would add organs to the market, thereby saving the lives of those who would otherwise die without a transplant, while delivering fair value to the person donating the organ. There are a number of problems with the view that legalizing the organ trade is beneficial. Such a move would exacerbate negative health outcomes for the poor, strengthening inequality, but such a move would also violate any reasonable standard of ethics, by inherently placing a price on one's life and health. This paper will expand on these points and make the case that we should not allow people to pay for organs.

The delegate of Russia believes even though some nations like Russia are trying to get rid of organ trafficking, without the uncompromising effort of the other developed nations to ban importing trafficked organs within their own countries, it will be impossible to end this injustice. Developed countries must organize a system that would encourage an increase in legal organ donors, such as the opt-out system which has been successfully introduced in several countries, or reconsider and deregulate the present system on the basis of WHO guidelines. At the same time, laws must be organized to punish illegal trafficking groups in order to protect poor ‘donors’ from being lured into the organ trade.