Trafficking, Tourism, and Trading

Organ transplantation has become a victim of its own success with the global need for organs outstripping supply. Organ trafficking and transplant tourism have developed as ways to circumvent the shortage. Responses from the United Nations and World Health Organization have condemned these practices and called for their elimination. There are increasing calls to permit legalized organ markets, claiming they would not only ease the organ shortage, but also reduce trafficking and transplant tourism. This chapter argues that organ trafficking, tourism, and trading are all inter-related and harm results to the vendors from all three. The arguments for legalized organ markets from philosophers, economists, and clinicians are presented and critiqued with a particular emphasis on the work of Janet Radcliffe-Richards. The criteria for an ideal organ market as outlined by Arthur Matas are then summarized and discussed, and followed by an exploration of the current situation regarding organ transplantation in Iran—the only country in the world to have a state-regulated organ market. A brief résumé of the history of organ markets is given, followed by an assessment of whether the Iranian model is one which should be followed as Western advocates of organ markets suggest, or whether it illustrates many of the problems of payment for organs of which opponents of such markets warn. It is concluded that the poor and vulnerable are overall the most likely to be the biggest losers in all forms of organ selling, whether by trafficking, transplant tourism, or trading in organ markets.

Perception and prejudice about organ donation among medical students in a tertiary healthcare, Mysuru

Background: Today, increase in deaths due to organ failure can be avoided if organ donors are available. Many states in India adopted the transplantation of human organs act and enthusiastic medical professionals and philanthropists joined hands to move the matter further forward. Lack of awareness about organ donation has been noted among the general public including medical professionals. Awareness can be promoted through medical students to bridge the gap of knowledge about organ donation and they can carry the message to the community. Hence an attempt has been made to probe this issue with objective to assess the perception and prejudice about organ donation among medical students.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students in a tertiary healthcare centre, Mysuru. A total of 201 students from 1st and 3rd term, consenting to participate were included in the study. A semi-structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data and was analysed using SPSS 22 version.Results: Knowledge about brain death was 73.1%, transplant of harvested organs was 59%, compatibility tests were 89% and organs donated by live donors were 89.6% for kidneys and 66.7% for cornea in cadaver donors. Regarding legal issues 73% knew that organ selling is criminal offence. 90% supported organ donation and related to prejudice 53% agreed that there are no religious constraints to donate organs.Conclusions: Knowledge and awareness regarding procedure, pre-requisites and legal issues related to organ donation needs to be improved among the medical students.

Organ Selling

Citizens of underprivileged areas submit to temptations and end up selling their organs for their great need for money. Some say that it is a personal choice and that each is responsible for making such a decision, while others believe that such a transaction is inherently unethical. In reality, the exchange of an organ for money does not end well most of the time. Quite often, the gangs and doctors receiving the organ fail to abide by the agreement leading to the ethical dilemma resulting from organ selling. Organ selling should never be legalized since there would always be a price war and its effects could not be confined. People by nature are greedy; thus, leading to black market again. Moreover, the demand is much more than the supply; thus, there is no specified criteria for who receives the organ as any method used would eventually lead to more complications.

Toward Justice in the Organ Trade

Transplantation of organs from live persons may take place without any payment to the donors, and this involves relatively few moral problems. Gift donation appears to be widely accepted as a laudable and welcome form of benevolence. Even though an organ gift may entail some risk to the donor, his or her consent — provided that it is freely given and properly informed — renders such risk non-objectionable.Gift donation cannot, however, be expected to fill the large and growing demand for transplant organs. Thus, the issue of a market in organs has for some years now been the subject of ethical and legal scrutiny, and has been addressed by (generally prohibitive) legislation. What follows is intended as a critical survey, focusing initially on organ-buying, and then on organ-selling.