The advancements and improvements of modern medicine have been instrumental in according humans the best quality of life than ever before. Numerous procedures that had been previously considered dangerous and life-threatening have since been simplified allowing for widespread use. A notable change has been that of organ transplants that have been instrumental in saving numerous lives for individual suffering from organ failure. On the downside, however, this capability has precipitated an unintended development. The shortage of organs relative to those need has resulted in the supply-demand challenge that fuels the illegal trade in human organs. Despite the benefits of organ transplant, it is clear that without proper regulation and legislation numerous people are left to bear the consequences of exploitation and extortion in an effort to fulfill the demands of the illegal trade in organs.
In a Guardian article titled Organ trafficking in Egypt: ‘They locked me in and took my kidney’ the issue of extortion and exploitation is clearly brought out and it served to emphasize the fact that without robust and effective management approaches it is impossible to end a vice that continues to destroy the lives of individuals and families across the globe. Seán Columb article articulates the nature of the organ trade in Egypt with a focus on how it is fueling extortion and exploitation among immigrant and refugee groups. According to Abouna (1993), organ transplants are designed to rely on voluntary donations from family members or close relatives. According to Columb, however, these stipulations are rampantly violated even as individuals as is evident of Dawitt who has fallen prey to the hand of extortionist and exploiters who harvested his kidney and left with nothing but despair and misery.
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Having fled from mandatory military conscription in Eritrea, Dawitt found himself Egypt with the aim of crossing the sea to sojourn to Europe. His desperation thus became his undoing even as smugglers found a way to exploit his condition. Having experienced difficulties securing a job, the option of selling his kidney in an effort to raise enough cash to facilitate his smuggling over to Europe sounded like a brilliant idea. With all preparations and arrangements made, he went on with the operation and gave away his kidney; his monies were delayed since they would be used to facilitate his transportation into Sicily. This promise would never materialize, as Dawitt would find himself on the receiving end of organ broker extortion and exploitation. His attempt for legal redress was also vanquished following threats of deportation by the local police department where he had gone to report his case.
According to Columb’s article, Dawitt is one of the many refugees who are continually exploited by smugglers and organ brokers who take advantage of their desperation. Evidence of this fact is to be found in the fact that over 700 incidents of organ trafficking were reported in 2018 with most cases arising from the Middle East and North Africa. The fact that these regions have been marred by violence, civil unrest, and political turmoil means that millions of people have been left hopeless and without a means to earn a living. The gravity of the situation has since been intensified following the European Union policy that has focused on externalizing boards by empowering African states to host refugees and immigrants.
In line with this policy, countries such as Libya, Egypt and Sudan continue to receive funds to improve their capacity to host migrant populations. While this has played a crucial role in reducing the number of asylum seekers using the Mediterranean route, the greater challenge has arisen for refugees who are forced to consider other extreme means of reaching Europe. This according to Columb, has created a conducive environment for exploitation by criminal networks and organ brokers. Based on this line of thought, it is clear that people are the poor and most vulnerable are on the receiving end of the organ trade. For organ brokers, the desperation of the poor or refugees creates an avenue for exploitation and extortion, all in a bid to enrich and benefit themselves.
While it is possible to argue that the organs go a long way in saving the lives of the recipients, it is clear that the mode of obtaining these organs violates the altruistic principles that underpin the dynamics of organ transplants. More importantly, also is the fact that this approach goes against, ethical, religious and moral tenets that define contemporary society. With the development of organ transplant capacity, it became imperative to establish the dynamics under which the process would be accomplished. According to Munson’s book Raising the Dead: Organ Transplants, Ethics, and Society, organ sourcing focused on voluntary donations in which individuals were offered their organs based on altruistic tenets. In line with this thought process, Munson (2002) argues that by providing financial incentives, organ brokers eliminate the psychological benefits associated with the voluntary donation of organs.
Beyond the violation of the altruistic dynamics of voluntary donation, organ brokers also go against legal, moral and religious confines established by society. From a legal point of view, organ brokers do not only steal from vulnerable and unsuspecting members of society but that they also violate the rights of their victims. With organ commodification being illegal across the globe, the perpetuation of an underground and illegal trade of organs is an outright illegal activity (Shroff, 2009). Additionally, as is evident from Colum’s article, organ sellers are often extorted in that their monies are not remitted as agreed. In the case of Asha, it is also clear that threats and victimization are part and parcel of the mode of operation employed by organ brokers. The violation of human rights also stands out as a major legal issue for organ brokers.
Individuals have the right to freedom of choice and quality life. In instances of poverty or vulnerability as is the case with refugees, the sense of desperation affects their ability to make free and rational decisions; an element that is compounded by the provision of monetary incentives. By leveraging the vulnerability of various members of society, organ brokers continually violate the rights of these individuals by compelling them to offer their organs in return for various incentives. Ethics dictates that people should treat one another with respect, understanding, and dignity (Shroff, 2009). This means ensuring one’s activities and actions do not physical or psychology affect another. In line with the thought process, therefore, it is clear that organ brokers violate the moral code that defines and shapes human relations.
For starters, offering misleading information with the aim of extortion and exploitation as was the case with the experiences of Dawitt and Asha is an outright lack of respect for fellow human beings. Secondly, in choosing to extort victims of their monies indicates the absence of a dignified perspective towards fellow human beings. Lastly, organ brokers often leave their victims with physical and psychological challenges. The illegality of organ commodification means that the individuals offering their organs are often operated in poor conditions. Additionally, most doctors refrain from participating in the organ black market and such only those with poor qualifications can agree to such activities (Budiani and Karim, 2008). In most cases, victims of such schemes are left with long-lasting health complication due to the lack of proper care. From a psychological point of view, the experience of extortion and exploitation often leaves long-lasting trauma for the victims. In addition to their vulnerabilities, such experiences can precipitate the development of various mental disorders.
Besides exploiting the poor and vulnerable, organ brokers are also violators of religious and spiritual codes. From a religious point of view, human life remains precious and as such, it is the duty of the individual and society to ensure that people are protected for violations (Oliver et al. 2010). According to most religions, human life is considered sacred. The fact that there is a supreme being who provides and protects human life means that human beings have little control over the use of their bodies and organs. The primary duty of the individuals and society as a whole, therefore, is to focus on establishing a conducive environment for the body to thrive. In the case of organ transplants, therefore, religious principles support voluntary donations that come in handy in helping others preserve their lives.
The provision of monetary incentives with the aim of acquiring organs presents an ethical problem. In other words, taking advantage of a person’s vulnerability to acquire body organs violates ethical principles that govern human relations and interactions. More crucially, is the fact that by duping people into selling their organ’s organ brokers facilitate the defilement of a sacred being based on monetary incentives. Additionally, extortion and exploitation are outright vices that result in conflicted souls for both victims and perpetrators of organ commodification. From a moral perspective, organ brokers perpetrate major inequalities and injustices in the acquisition, harvesting, and distribution of organs. For starters, they target, the poor and vulnerable in society for their illegal schemes. This means that such groups are predisposed to respond to the monetary incentives offered by organ brokers.
In essence, this indicates a clear-cut form of exploitation that seeks to leverage existing inequalities for profit. Based on Dawitt’s and Asha’s case it is also clear that organ brokers perpetrate injustices in which victims are threatened and ripped off all in the name of facilitating the illegal trade of human organs. It is also worth noting the fact that, in most cases, the rich and wealthy are often the recipients of organs acquired through organ brokers. Their ability to pay high prices for body organs thus becomes a major incentive for both brokers and the poor in society who are faced with numerous obligations and debts. This is a direct perpetuation and exploitation of economic inequalities in society. The illegality of organ commodification is designed to eliminate the widespread exchange of organs for monetary gain and profits.
The fundamental proposition made in this argument, therefore, is that the activities of organ brokers are illegal and criminal. This is because they continually exploit and extort the poor and vulnerable for selfish gain. While the organs may go on to save the lives of various people across the globe, the process of sourcing the organs presents numerous challenges ethical, legal and religious challenges. In this regard, the single solution lies in streamlining the organ transplant value chain to allow for traceability of organs to their source origin. This can only be achieved through regional and international consensus regarding the control and regulation of organ sourcing. The commodification of human organs isa challenge that can be addressed by leveraging current medical and scientific development as is the case with lab-generated human organs as well as improved preservation techniques that will allow for longer storage of harvested organs.
References
Abouna, G. M. (1993, June). Negative impact of trading in human organs on the development of transplantation in the Middle East. In Transplantation proceedings (Vol. 25, No. 3, p. 2310).
Budiani, D. A., & Karim, K. (2008). The social determinants of organ trafficking: a reflection of social inequity. Social Medicine , 4 (1), 48-51.
Columb, S. (2019, February 09). Organ trafficking in Egypt: 'They locked me in and took my kidney' . Retrieved on 15 June 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/feb/09/trafficking-people-smugglers-organs-egypt-mediterranean-refugees-migrants.
Oliver, M., Woywodt, A., Ahmed, A., & Saif, I. (2010). Organ donation, transplantation and religion. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation , 26 (2), 437–444
Shroff, S. (2009). Legal and ethical aspects of organ donation and transplantation. Indian journal of urology: IJU: journal of the Urological Society of India , 25 (3), 348.
Munson, R. (2002). Raising the dead: Organ transplants, ethics, and society . Oxford University Press on Demand.
