The Shortage Of Donated Organs And The Issues With The Current Donation System

There are a lot of people in this world that are going through organ failure. The National Kidney Foundation even found, “Every fourteen minutes someone is added to the kidney transplant list”. Statistically speaking, that is a great deal of people in need of a vital organ. The author Joanna MacKay talks about the need for organ donations in her article “Organ Sales Will Save Lives”. MacKay disputes her case briefly when stating her thesis in the first paragraph. She gives the audience her opinion on how the selling of organs should be built to become legal. Throughout the text she touches on the black market selling of kidneys. She also incorporates how other third world countries have allowed this practice of organ sales. The article includes her insight on what would happen if organ sales would be legalized and how it would be regulated.

There is no denying that organ transplants save many lives. Nevertheless a issue exists because the demand for organs surpasses the legally accessible supply. The selling and purchasing of human organs is illegal all around the world. As a consequence a black market has been created to help satisfy the need of human organs. The black market consists of the rich, the poor and the broker. The rich uses the broker to help organize the purchase of organs from the poor and arrange the transplant operation. Many argue that the simple answer to this is to establish a legitimate firmly monitored organization for selling and purchasing human organs and others argue against that proposed answer. In this essay I will list and compare augments in

“Illegal trade in kidneys has risen to such a level that an estimated 10,000 black market operation involving purchased human organs now take place annually or more than one an hour” (The Guardian, 2012). People that are in the need of an organ and willing to participate in illegal activities will either send a broker or go directly to another country where people are lacking in the knowledge of the situation or have an extreme disability and buy an organ rom that individual. In most cases a broker will promise the seller a great amount of money, but in the end they will only receive a fraction of the money that was promised and for some they receive no money. If a broker cannot buy an organ they will steal one. “However, when the organ, like many other valuables that cannot be bought, it is stolen resulting in flagrant violation of human rights” (U.N.O.D.C, 2000). It is currently illegal to buy or sell human organ in the United States and many other countries. People involved with the operation of human trafficking will be charged with a trafficking offence. “For a trafficking offence to be established must be evidence of an illegal act (recruitment) followed by an illegal means (coercion) for the purpose of exploitation (organ harvesting), one in ten organ transplants are illegal” (U.N.O.D.C, 2000). Illegal sales of organs are increasing the rate of criminal

Thousands of people in the United States are dying each year because of a failed kidney, and have no chance to receive one. In “Organ Sales Will Save Lives” by MIT student, Joanna MacKay argues against banning the sale of organs, but instead recommends legalizing and regulating the trade of human organs in order to try and save people’s lives. MacKay reports that in America alone, approximately 350,000 people struggle each year with kidney failure. Since there is no cure, and buying kidneys is currently illegal, this leads the person to search for other options that usually result in purchasing organs on the black market. MacKay states that a black market purchase allows the recipient to buy a fresh, healthy organ from a living donor without the agonizing process of waiting on a list (157-158). MacKay believes that both the recipient and donor would benefit in the legalization and regulation process and if this comes to pass, more organs would be made available for transplant and many people would get the chance to live another day.

“Kidneys for Sale” by Miller, Benjamin, and North is about the transplant donor system. It is explained in the beginning of the paper how it is against the law to sell or pay for organs, but it is legal to pay the surgeons to perform the transplant and the hospital to make profit on the operation room used. It is also legal for people to sell their sperm, eggs, and even their blood, but illegal to sell their organs. One can receive an organ as a gift. For example, if their parent decides to donate their kidney to their child, then that is acceptable. However, if one does not have anyone in their lives willing to donate an organ to them, then they are left no choice but to apply to a wait list. There are several waiting lists. Due to

Over the last few decades, the number of patients on organ waiting lists in the US has continued to soar way above the number of organ donor. In some cases, patients have died waiting for organs from donors. According to available statistics, more than 100,000 patients are in the US transplant list waiting for organ donors. On the other hand, only 20% of these patients are likely to receive a legitimate organ donor and the fate of the other 80% lies in the balance (Rattenni 20). This shortage in the life saving organ transplant has led to a surge in illegal human trafficking cartels and black market vendor ready to exploit the desperate situation of these patients. In some cases, there have been cases of living donor ready to sale their organs for cash rewards.

In the article “Kidneys for Sale: A Reconsideration,” the author, Miriam Schulman raises the notoriously controversial issue regarding organ sale. He describes the main ideas from both the supporting and the opposing side to give readers a wider view about organ sales.

More than 110,000 people are on waiting lists for organs they may not ever get in time (mantel). This has caused an organ black market in which people are trading their or other individuals’ organs for illegal money. In case making criminals out of normal people. In 2009, the FBI arrested a Brooklyn rabbi for illegal organ trade, he was buying organs from overseas for a mere ten thousand dollars and selling here in the black market for upwards of one hundred sixty thousand (Krauthammer). An organ trade of some sort needs to become legal and people need chances to be compensated for their organs. Also with the market becoming legal, patients will be in better hands pre-operation and post-operation.

So in the organ black market, a person exchanging his or her organs for money is called a “seller”. The average seller in transplant tourism is between the ages of 31-40 and are living in extreme poverty. In the perspective of the seller, there is another example of dire desperation. These people hardly make enough money to survive. In a research study conducted by Syed Naqvi, M.D., in 2006 219 sellers from Pakistan were surveyed. He asked them about their monthly incomes. These were the

It is an indisputable fact that under the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984, there is a larger demand for organs than there is available supply. As a result, people in need of kidney or liver transplants die every year while waiting. Under the current system, the only way to receive an organ transplant is either by having a family member selflessly volunteer to donate theirs, or by being put on a waiting list to receive an organ from the recently deceased. To combat this lack of supply, some in need of transplants desperately turn to the black market, paying enormous sums of money for organs that were more than likely taken illegally. Others die waiting for a transplant that was never realistically going to happen in time. In essence, the gap between supply and demand for organs is causing both a loss in quantity and quality of lives. However, changing policy to allow payments to organ donors would drastically reduce this gap, therefore decreasing wait time for organs and saving lives. The crucial step that must be taken to save these lives is to repeal the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984 which prohibits the sale of organs.

Illegal organ sales are on the rise because of the worldwide organ shortage. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that there are over one hundred and nineteen thousand men, women, and children currently waiting on the transplant list, and twenty-two of them die each day waiting for a transplant (Organ, 2015). Many individuals are utilizing the black market as a means to receive an organ for themselves or a loved one because they feel it is the only option. Organ sales should be legal because of the increasing number of illegal activities surrounding the process; transplants will be done in a safe and managed environment, the poor will not be exploited by black market criminal activity, and the number of organs available will

While the needs for a donation of a lifesaving organ grows within an individual’s life the more desperation flood into their life choices and judgments. Thus, bringing into view the criminal endeavor of obtaining living human organs from shady “business deals” within the illegal human organ black market. Understandably, the reason why the human organ black market exists is because there is such a great need for human organs, yet not enough donations to meet those needs. In fact, it is estimated that nearly twelve Americans die of organ failure every day since they did not receive a donation before their premature death (Harris & Alcorn, 2001). While the human organ black market is a means in which one can receive a life saving organ, one must

The legal and ethical concerned such as autonomy, respecting the dignity and quality of human beings, non-maleficence, the methods of organ allocation and the cost of organ transplant. Since a lot of people will benefit from organ and tissue transplantation, and a lot of organs are damaged or wasted during the transplantation process, thus, the demand often exceeds the supply, many problems are raised related to the procuration and how to fairly allocated the limited organs. In addition, the worldwide shortage of organs also caused the trafficking for organ trade. According to the world Health Organization, “one out of 10 organ transplants involves a trafficked human organ, which amount to about 10,000 a year. Through the black market, the price of an organ may be above $160,000.” The traffickers who organized criminal network are benefited from reselling organs in a huge profit. Additionally, when doing surgeries through black market-affiliated medical provider, the transplant operation is dangerous to both donor and recipient, as the clandestine organ-sellers can’t get a favorable medical follow-up, surgeons might reuse the equipment to reduce costs. After kidney transfers to buys, they often catch hepatitis or

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.

In the United States, there are over one hundred thousand people on the waiting list to receive a life-saving organ donation, yet only one out of four will ever receive that precious gift (Statistics & Facts, n.d.). The demand for organ donation has consistently exceeded supply, and the gap between the number of recipients on the waiting list and the number of donors has increased by 110% in the last ten years (O'Reilly, 2009). As a result, some propose radical new ideas to meet these demands, including the selling of human organs. Financial compensation for organs, which is illegal in the United States, is considered repugnant to many. The solution to this ethical dilemma isn’t found in a wallet; there are other alternatives available