As a result of changing environmental, biological, and physical conditions, human beings are being frequently affected by a wide range of illnesses. Some of these ailments reach detrimental levels threatening one’s life and as such prompt the need for an organ transplant to ensure their survival. Such situations are often common for diseases such as cardiac, liver, and kidney diseases. As such, this creates the need for such organs so as to treat relevant ailments and extend life. The most common organs required for transplant surgeries include, but not limited to, heart, kidneys, lungs, intestines, and the liver. The demand for these organs easily outweighs the supply. This aspect is ascertained by the fact that changing lifestyles are significant contributors to adverse health conditions. The organ with the highest demand is the kidney. This has been attributed mostly to lifestyle conditions that have led to the development of diabetes, mostly type 2 diabetes. The advancement of this illness leads to a more dire state of kidney failure. At this point, the most effective treatment is a kidney transplant. This situation affects a vast range of individuals who make unhealthy lifestyle choices such as inappropriate diets and who lead physically inactive lifestyles. This trend is predominant in the current global population in relation to the rising statistics of diabetes-related illnesses.
According to current data, the supply of the above organs is limited. This trend may be associated with the stigma related to organ donation as a result of social factors and cultural inhibitions. In the majority of global cultures, organ transplant is considered to be a taboo owing to the social values and beliefs held about the sacredness of human life in the current and afterlife.
Based on the above considerations, the demand for organs for transplant has risen drastically recently. Additionally, as a result of the supply challenges, the situation has led to the emergence and thriving of the illegal trade in organ sale. The rising hospital waiting lists have prompted wealthy individuals to seek alternative options. In this regards, the black market has grown to tremendous levels and has a global presence as a result of the rising demand. The sale of organs in the black market is laced with ethical and moral controversies, as a result of the surrounding factors that prompt organ sale in the black market. The workings of the market are based on a willing buyer and willing seller. However, the limits of the willingness of the seller are construed as a result of the lack of options. In this case, individuals who sell their organs do so for the lack of survival options. Organ sellers are often their families’ breadwinner and as such responsible for their survival. In most cases, those participating in this trade do so as a result of their poor financial status that prompts them to sell their organs for the sake of the financial remuneration to cater for their living costs, payment of school fees for their children, payment of debts, among other reasons. The other impediment that characterizes the organ trade is the brokerage element. The organ buyers are often unscrupulous and at often times swindle the sellers of their money. This situation is a common feature as evidenced by Lundin (2015) who documents the organ trade in China, a country predominant with organ transplants in which case, sellers who may be promised to be paid a certain amount are undercut and also lack the required medical treatment after the illegal surgery. As a result, such individuals are bound to experience physical and mental problems as a result of their experience, and also not to mention the intense social stigma associated with their decision to sell their organs which could take a toll on the affected individual.
However, a situation involving a willing buyer and seller is not the only type of organ sale. According to Lundin (2015), the organ sale system can also be explained in instances where in some countries an individual accepts to donate their organs upon their demise. As such, the institution or the government may agree to pay the family for the right to their relative’s body after their death. At often times, even this situation is not as common as individuals do not support this approach in order to protect the sanctity of the body of their loved ones.
According to Petechuk (2006), the illegal organ trade is a million-dollar industry. This can be ascertained by the World Health Organization which indicates that approximately 10,000 operates occur in the black market on an annual basis (Wilkinson, 2006). In other words, this figure rounds up to one transplant surgery in an hour. This finding reveals the seriousness of the issue that needs urgent consideration and drastic action to be undertaken in this regard. Another aspect revealed from the flourishing of this trade is the ethical and moral aspect of health administrators that participate in this trade. In most instances, these individuals go against the core medical code of ethics which is ‘Do not harm.’ The decision to participate in activities that lead to imposing harm from a medical professional’s point of harm is serious as the profession calls for the protection of human life. The medical practitioners participating in such illegal surgeries contravene the binding principle for the sake of financial remuneration.
In order to counter the widely unregulated organ trade, various countries have made considerable gains in policy. China has long been associated as one of the ideal countries of transplant tourism. Wilkinson (2006) defines this type of tourism as that involving traveling to another country in order to participate in organ transplant practice. This is because the country previously allowed ‘consented’ organ transplants on the prisoners. The country faced global condemnation as it was revealed to be morally wrong. In recent times, China has banned this practice and instead chosen to adopt the donation system. In addition, it has banned the allowance of foreign transplants. As a result, the rate of such transplants in the black market has considerably reduced, although a lot still needs to be done, in terms of enforcement.
In this regard, in order eradicate the illegal organ trade, the strict observance of the Declaration of Istanbul on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism will make a considerable leeway in countering the illegal trade. This international regulation was adopted in the bid to curb the illegal international trade of organs. Adherence to this law will considerably impede the trade and its enforcement by some countries have already bore fruit. For instance, the adoption of this principle in the Philippines, one of the countries identified as a major center of the illegal organ trade, has seen the drastic reduction of the number of such transplants in the country. In addition, the law has facilitated the combination of efforts among medical practitioners to provide information and reports on the issue in order to accurately indicate the extent and severity of the crisis to determine appropriate measures. This approach has led to the formation of Custodian Groups around the world tasked with the duty to gather reports concerning the illegal transplants and organ donations around the globe in order to facilitate reform. This law has also been adopted by countries such as Egypt, Pakistan, and India thereby indicating its potential to perform as expected.
The illegal trade of organ sale and transplant can be eradicated through the development of adequate systems that will facilitate the supply of such organs to patients. The lack of supply can tilt the demand scale as a result of the availability of required organs in health institutions. This approach will require the adequate encouragement of altruistic organ donation. In this case, individuals should be motivated to appeal to their noble characters and donate their organs to other individuals who are in dire need of the organs. This will see the increase in supply thereby reduce demand for the organs in the black market. This strategy is possible as the change in beliefs has caused the cultural shift to take into consideration practical perspectives with regards to organ donation. In addition, countries should implement laws that aim to curb illegal organ trafficking. The establishment of an effective legal framework will ensure prosecution of responsible individuals and provide sufficient grounds of discouraging the vice. In this regard, countries such as India, China, the United Kingdom, and South Africa have convicted individuals guilty of participating in this trade. In addition, countries such as Israel and Malaysia have gone a step further by withdrawing financial support to citizens receiving transplants abroad. This strategy has been lauded as an appropriate approach to curbing the trade.
In conclusion, the establishment of appropriate system and legal frameworks will provide the direction needed in order to eradicate the illegal trade in organ transplants as well as streamline the system with regards to ensuring ethical and moral behavior among medical practitioners. In addition, the adoption of the above recommendations will protect innocent individuals who may fall victim to the lures of unscrupulous business people.
References
Lundin, S. (2015). Organs for sale: An ethnographic examination of the international organ trade. London: Palgrave Pivot.
Petechuk, D. (2006). Organ transplantation. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.
Wilkinson, S. (2006). Bodies for sale: Ethics and exploitation in the human body trade. New York: Routledge.
