Introduction
A lot of questions have been raised if it will be wise if the government makes the black market of organ transplant legal. The law of the land at the present makes selling of any part of the human body illegal. Black market organ transplant is a way of buying organs illegally from the willing donor to help the suffering recipient. It has gained fame due to the parity between the recipient and the donor. There are many people who are in the high need of organs, but there are few people who are willing to donate such organs. It is this parity and the unwillingness of people to donate organs that have made many people turn to black market organ transplant.
This paper is intended to open the eye of the people who feel that black market organ transplant is bad. The paper will provide the statistics to show why the government should the swiftest steps possible to legalize this practice. This paper is, therefore, on the supporting side as it will come up with the best reasons to support why the government should take such a step.
This paper argues that it is not illegal if someone willingly donates part of his or her body in exchange of money. In any case the both parties are in a mutual agreement that is, the donor and the recipient, and then there will be nothing illegal in such a case. With this argument, the paper is aimed at developing from it, and willingly the message will go through and the government will learn something from it. Apart from the government, anybody who is a willing donor will also have nothing to worry after reading this article.
The gross imbalance between the demand and supply of organ has been the principle reason to why many people have turned to black market organ transplant. Kidney for a very long time has been leading in the organs transplanted. The fact that people are born with two kidneys and in that case can donate one and go on with normal life is the reason kidney has been leading the list. Apart from kidney, heart, liver and are also other organs that can be transplanted from one person to another. Statistics has it that one person is added in the list of people who need a transplant every 10 minutes in America. This will mean that each and every day, an average of 144 people will be added in the list of people who require an organ transplant in America. However, out of this number, only 79 people can get a successful transplant each day. It is not because there are no surgeons but because there are no organs to be transplanted. With only 79 able to get organs in a day, the other 65 patients will not have anywhere to turn to if in any case rules were to be followed to the latter.
“A shortage of organ donations in the United States is a known fact. Government estimates show 18 people die each year waiting for a transplant, and every 10 minutes someone is added to the transplant list.” Michael Castillo (2013)
The need of people for the organ transplant is the reason people have turned to the black market organ transplant. With only 79 people capable of getting a transplant through the legal framework, the other option remaining tends to look for help from other sources. Most people have got help from the black market as many live have been saved. The government could see this as a way forward to tackle the ever rising need for organ transplant. With no one willing to freely give their body part, the government should let those who are willing to sell the organs to do so.
In in article, “Medical exploitation and black market organs: profiteering and disparities in global medicine’, Michael argues
“The demand for kidneys has increased at an increasing rate. As of October 25, 2012, 98,463 people were awaiting Kidney implantations in the US. This made the kidney the most sought after organ in the US. Thus far this year, only 9,708 kidney transplants have been completed.” Michael Castillo (2013)
Most of the patients who seek organ transplant have lost lives due to the unorganized way of organ donation. A number of the people who need the organs keeps on outnumbering the donors. It is estimated that each and every day, an average of 18 people dies while waiting on the long list of patients. In the 2013 alone, almost 65,000 Americans were removed from the waiting list by death. This implies that the government has no appropriate plan to approach tis self-proclaimed plague. The only solution to approach this challenge is if the government swallows their pride and allows people to sell and buy organs. These 65,000 did not only lose their lives but also deceived from being in the American workforce. America will keep on losing more than 65,000 skilled labors each year in case the government keeps on giving the people a deaf ear. Legalizing black market organ transplant will bring a smile to the faces of the already frowning patients. Those patients who do not have any family member who is willing to donate will have somewhere to turn to.
Legalizing black market organ transplant will make the exercise be organized to allow for faster donation of the organs. The patients who die do not only lose their lives because there are no organs, but because there is a delay in getting the organ. A higher percentage of people loses their lives in the waiting room due to the delay of the organ. There can be a willing donor, but he, or she cannot do so because they fear that they might not be in a position to care for their family. Take the example of a single mother who is taking care of two young children, single laborer, but can donate a kidney so as to save the life. This woman may change mind because of fear that she might not care for her children for a period of her recovery. In the case the government allowed that the recipient can pay the donor and even take care of the children, and then this woman could not be afraid to save the life. It is a high time that a red flag was raised so that these people who suffer could get help. The government stands no chance of ignoring this call. Man made the rules, in the case the same rule is hurting man then changes are not optional.
There are many people who are willing to donate organs. The thriving business of black market organ transplant only shows that things are changing from the time people were good Samaritans. People no longer donate their parts for n gain they rather need some money in return. People’s willingness to donate organs has only been thwarted by the unfriendly rules that say that they should not have any monetary gain in return. The government should realize that the economy is dictating everything. Statistics has it that many people more so from the poor background are always more than willing to donate organs in return of money. The government can take this chance to help the patients even to fill the part of the budget. In any case, there is someone who has spotted a willing donor; the government should help such a person to fund the transaction. This way, the patient can save a lot of money than when the process was illegal. The donor will also have a smiling face since the middlemen will not carry home the lion’s share. The intervention of the government will thus make the process very easy, organized and not the playground of the fraud stars.
In most of the cases, most of the donors have lost their lives while undergoing the donation process. Apart from the big list of the people who die while waiting for a transplant, a bigger number have also lost their lives while undergoing donation. The donation process has been done in a poor environment and with crooks. The illegal nature of the process is the principle reason such lives have been lost. According to research, a bigger number of people who donate organs in the black market, through the fear of the law, have not sought for medical assistance in the case of medical complications. Most of the patients usually die with their problems as they are always living in the fear that the long arm of the government can hold them. In the case where black market was legal, no death will be reported for a person who was not able to seek medical assistance because of fear. The legalization of the process will remove the fear that people always have in the case they develop a complication. This will also increase the number of people who will be willing to donate organs so as to save other people’s lives.
The government can only show that it respects the lives of its citizens in case they have put the health of its people ahead. Life is one of the basic rights of each and every human being. No one should lose a life even if the way of getting that life back is illegal. Black market organ have been a solution of many people to get medical assistance. It is through this way that most of the people have saved their lives. The government can show their respect to the human life but respecting this way of getting life. Instead of putting these oppressive laws, the government should put this process to be very easy and where ever one will be capable of getting help. If in any case black market organ transplant is the only solution to getting life then, the process should be legalized.
Normally it is always a lengthy process to have a legal transplant done. It will take an average of seven years for a legal transplant to be done. Mary Jo Vradis, a self-confessed participant of the trade, says that she got a kidney transplant from the black market. According to Mary, it took her almost three years while waiting for the transplant to be done. Mary had a kidney failure meaning that she could have lost her life in case the waiting went longer than that. Tired of waiting for the lengthy legal way of organ transplant, Mary decided to look for another option. Within less than three months, Mary was capable of getting her renal function normally thanks to the black market. According to Mary, she was well off paying hefty for the services than risk her life waiting for the legal process. What this reveals is that the black market saves lives of people. The number of lives that it saves can be increased in any case the process is made to be legal.
Viorel a 27-year unemployed kidney donor from Moldova believes that the government should be responsible for the low turnout of people who donate organs. According to Viorel, she is worse than a prostitute in the eye of her village mates. She reveals that people who donate their organs are treated as prostitutes who sell their bodies. Viorel is, however, keen not to point fingers at her village mates. She says that it is the poor laws that have brainwashed the villagers to an extent they cannot understand that organ donation is to save the life of another person. Viorel says that the people of her village are neither willing to donate their organs for free nor are they willing to sell them. Most of her villagers quotes the government but on the wrong way. To the villagers, they are not supposed to give away their precious organ. To those who have little education, however, are willing but fear that they will be abandoned and looked down upon in their family. The faith of these people towards organ donation can only be regained in case the government change their stands and make black market organ transplant legal.
Sharva is a 32 year old Philippine who is now in danger of losing her life because she donated one of her kidney six years ago. The remaining one kidney has failed and in that case Sharva cannot get a donor because all of her family members have also donated their kidneys. Unable to raise $200,000 to cater for the transplant, Sharva is now waiting for the days to come and meet her maker. What Sharva admits to, is that she was not fully informed of the risks that she was exposing herself to when she was donating her kidney. This claim is supported by her younger sister who says that she also had no idea of the risk they were exposing themselves to while donating. To avoid the same scenario where the donors put themselves into such risks, the government should educate the people and make them know the challenges underlying the process. This will only be possible if in any case the government make the process legal. Many people will take chances and learn these risks, therefore, no other case like the one of Sharva will be reported.
Legalizing black market organ transplant will, however, come with many implications. The rights of many donors are still standing a chance to be violated. Human body should not be sold at any cost. The area here there are disagreements where the recipient offers a lot of money towards the transplant but the donor gets a stipend.
In in article, “Medical exploitation and black market organs: profiteering and disparities in global medicine’, Michael argues,
“Nevertheless, the small financial offers provided in exchange fororgans sold should never be reason for fighting the illegal sale of organs in the black market. Ethical challenges still remain even in situations where donors are offered huge sums of money. As such, realizing the objecitives of promoting global justice would not be attained. For this reason, an arbitrary monetary value should not be assigned to human organs irrespective of the asking price. If the donor in the black market is paid $2,000 or $20,000, the fact remains that s/he is being used as a means to an end rather than the individual being accorded the respect s/he deserves.” Michael Shafer (2011)
Michael (2011, claims that human body should be respected and in that case should not be a topic of discussion of how much was paid and how much was received. What this means that is that the payment should be from the goodwill and no that you are purchasing the organ. The recipient can only pay so as to appreciate the donor and not to purchase an organ. With this, the people’s view towards organ donation will change.
Those people who also donate organs in the black market should also be taught the risks that they are exposing themselves into before making a donation. They should be taught that by donating part of their body will automatically deprive them of the natural life insurance.
Conclusion
The call of the people should be respected. The law will only be a law in the case it is favoring the people whom it intends to serve. In the case such a law is not of any favor then it should be amended with an immediate effect. The government has failed to protect the lives of the common people with the law that make organ transplant illegal. With one voice, it is not only the people of America, but the world as a whole that says that this law should be revisited. Black market organ transplant should be made legal as immediate as possible. The legal transplant will bring good results to everyone including you.
Works Cited
Michelle Castillo. November 1, 2013. Ethical dilemmas surround those willing to sell, buy kidney on the black market. Accessed on December 12, 2014. Available on: <<http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ethical-dilemmas-surround-those-willing-to-sell-buy-kidneys-on-black-market/>>
Michael Shafer. November 4, 2011. Medical exploitation and black market organs: profiteering and disparities in global medicine. Accessed on December 12, 2014. Available on <<https://cbhd.org/content/medical-exploitation-and-black-market-organs-profiteering-and-disparities-global-medicine>>
U.S government information on organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Accessed on December 12, 2014. Available on: <<http://www.organdonor.gov/about/data.html >>
