It all started 50 years ago when Dr. Christian Bernard performed the first Organ transplant in the world. The heart transplant which was done in Cape Town opened the door for many discoveries involving human organ transplantation. The United States saw 22,827 organ transplants in 2000. Organ transplant was a great discovery back then. The medical operation saved a lot of lives. However, the procedure is taking a wrong turn. In May 2012, a report released by the World Health Organization showed a tremendous increase in the sale of different human organs through the black market. The report indicated that more than ten thousand organs were sold in 2010. The research means that at least one organ was sold in every hour.
Over a million patients have had their lives saved by organ transplants over the past 50 years. Some have had their lives extended while others have been totally treated. Those analyses are a clear indication that professionals in the medical field are committed to providing better services to patients all over the world. It also indicates creativity in the department and generosity from the organ donors as stated by Cherry (2015). However, the rate at which the kidney disease is rising could leave some patients without kidneys for transplants. The shortage of transplant organs has contributed to suggestions to remove the laws against organ sales from the U.S system. The laws have been there since 1984. Buying organs are not the way to go. The sale of human organs would cause harm to the voluntary organ donation programs that are already set in place. Now everyone will be looking to sell.
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According to Wilkinson and Garrard (1996), m any people may view organ sale to be the perfect way to prevent the avoidable deaths which take place as patients wait for organs. At around 15 patients lose their lives every day as they await organs for transplanting. Not enough organs are being donated to the health sector for transplants. That is the primary reason why many people opt to purchase these organs. However, poor people are choosing to sell their organs to get rid of poverty. They may even sell them at throw away prices just to escape poverty. Their desperation may lead them into selling organs which they are not in perfect health condition to sell. They sell without minding their health status. Someone may sell the kidney only to need it tomorrow.
When following the right method of organ donation, some conditions that have to be met. The person who is making the donation of any organ should be medically fit to do so. He or she must also be competent, free from any coercion and be totally willing to make the donation. The person must also be aware of the risks that may arise in the process and the benefits of the procedure. They must also be aware of the advantages that the recipient will receive. The benefits that both parties are receiving should surpass the risks involved. The transplantation and donation must do better than harm. For the black market sale, these conditions may not be observed, leaving the person selling prone to danger. The person may lose their life or live in total suffering after having their organ removed.
Organ transplantation is a treatment that is given to those individuals who exhibit organ failure upon medical examination. The legal practice has been observed in the United States from the 1950s. In the U.S, a non-profit organization that works independently regulates organ donations. The organization goes by the name United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). The body ensures that those who need the organs more are given priority. The distribution of these organs is done without favor. Wealth and position are not considered in the process. It is so unfortunate that the supply is not able to counter the demand. Back in 2012, more than 100,000 patients were waiting to receive transplant organs.
Following this desperation, the illegal market has planted its roots and is rising at high speed. The amount of money that patients are paying to receive these organs has encouraged the illegal sale tremendously. Patients have been found to be willing to part with as much as $200,000 in exchange of a kidney. Kidneys are the most sold organs amounting to 76 percent. The high percent is as a result of the rise in diabetes cases and high blood pressure issues. The trafficking of transplant organs has raised both health and ethical concerns all over the world. In many cases, the sellers are vulnerable members of the population. Countries like China, Pakistan, and India, have people who sell their kidneys for as low as $5,000. The middle man can at times get even more than the one selling the organ. It has become like any other trade.
Medical reports have proved that those who receive illegal organ transplant stand a high chance of contracting diseases like HIV, hepatitis B, and other transmissible diseases. The survival rate of the organ is also little. A scenario where the organ transplant is not successful could mean a substantial loss to the buyer. The trade could go wrong at any point since the success of the process is not assured. A lot of wrongs could be avoided if the whole deal is done legally in the manner that is supposed to be observed. A life that could have been saved may be lost never to be recovered while the patient may be left with regrets in other instances where a deal goes wrong.
The situation gets worse in China. China is the only country where human organs are harvested from prisoners. The organs are removed from inmates who are being executed and then used to facilitate transplantation. International organizations like the World Health Organization and the World Medical Association tend to disagree with this act. They have labeled the deed as unethical and inhumane as asserted by Brams, (1977). They both do not approve the sale of human organs whatsoever. The two organizations see that it is healthy to have an international law restricting the sale of organs worldwide. They believe that such an action is essential and that illicit organ business should come to an end. The organs harvested from prisoners have been said to have high profits, thereby, causing China to be in no hurry to stop the action.
The rule of harvesting organs from prisoners was passed in 1984. The law that allowed utilization of human organs from prisoner corpses has existed since. According to the rule, an organ could only be harvested if the prisoner consented, if the there was no one to claim the body, or if the family members of the executed prisoner agreed. In China, there is zero crime tolerance, and analyses show that China has had more prisoners executed than the whole world combined. It is not known whether the high number of executions have any to do with the organ demand ( Brams, 1977).
Most of the crimes in China are punishable by death. Some crimes are, however, not supposed to lead to execution. Some executions for minor offenses raise eyebrows. Theft and pig stealing should not cause someone to be executed. These unnecessary killings are obviously a way to expand the human organ trade. There are witness reports that suggest that prisoners are examined from time to time so that matching organs can be identified for patients who are waiting for transplants. Blood is obtained from inmates who are awaiting execution by the prison staff for testing. The body should not be treated like any commodity out there. It is entirely unethical to harvest organs from prisoners ( Budiani‐Saberi and Delmonico, 2008).
Through observation from recent years, the poor people in countries all over the world are the ones who contribute significantly to the supply of organs in the illegal trade. The developing countries also sell highly to the wealthiest countries resulting to the so-called transplant tourists. The reputation of organ transport has been tarnished to the level ground. Poor outcomes are rising tremendously in the medical world. That is the case in countries around the globe. Jafar (2009) believes that p atients do no longer see the need of turning to their loved ones for kidney donations. The government sees no need to invest in infrastructure that is supposed to help in transplantation of organs since the need is no longer presented. Before patients would not find it hard to ask for an organ donation from a relative but with current trends, this is seen as an abnormality. An organ is seen as a sale commodity.
As long as human organs continue to be sold illegally, health continues to deteriorate in the world. The poor will see the opportunity as a way to create a fortune in their life, and the whole essence of saving a life will be forever lost. The society of today will be adversely affected as well as the community that will come in future. International laws preventing organ sale should be developed as quickly as possible to try and minimize the illegal trade. It should be utilized to stop organ deals from being carried out so that things can go back to the way they used to be.
References
Brams, M. (1977). Transplantable human organs: should their sale be authorized by state statutes. Am. JL & Med. , 3 , 183.
Budiani‐Saberi, D. A., & Delmonico, F. L. (2008). Organ trafficking and transplant tourism: a commentary on the global realities. American Journal of Transplantation , 8 (5), 925-929.
Cherry, M. J. (2015). Kidney for sale by owner: human organs, transplantation, and the market . Georgetown University Press.
Jafar, T. H. (2009). Organ trafficking: global solutions for a global problem. American Journal of Kidney Diseases , 54 (6), 1145-1157.
Wilkinson, S., & Garrard, E. (1996). Bodily integrity and the sale of human organs. Journal of medical ethics , 22 (6), 334-339.
