Introduction
Every day, in some instances, men, women, and youngsters are trafficked for their organs by ruthless criminals who run illicit markets as part of a global conspiracy. Thousands of people lose their lives every day due to organ failure. Although hundreds are waiting for a transplant, there are inadequate donors to meet the demand. That creates a space in the clandestine market where human organs can be removed from unwilling donors(Moniruzzaman, 2019). The sales of organs should be ended due to the massive demand for body parts globally, and the insufficient donors facilitates human trafficking and illegal marketplaces.
Dangers of Illegal Organ Transplantation
Relocating persons for the sake of organ or tissue harvesting, such as in surrogacy or ovarian extraction, is a kind of human trafficking. Human trafficking is a criminal offense against the individual because it restricts free movement, often using force, and exploits victims for economic benefit. Even if a person is not physically transferred from one location to another, they may still be victims of human trafficking, especially women and children(Fransen et al., 2021). Organ harvesting as a justification for human trafficking is nothing new, but it has grown into one of the greatest unregulated industries in recent years.
Cruel criminals in charge of unlawful organizations deceive people into giving over their organs, and illicit double trading is widespread. Every day, a shockingly high number of people die horribly because of organ malfunction. There are many patients in need of an organ transplant each day, but insufficient donors to meet the need. Humans, particularly girls and young women, are traded for organ harvesting, a practice made possible by illegal double-dealing. Engaging in illegal double-dealing with the end goal of organ extraction may be the most significant underground contraband market now operating (Kirillova et al., 2020). Increased awareness of organ transactions and inadequate donors has led to illicit double-dealing, illegitimate organizations, and no remedies to the daily, continually rising demand for body parts on a worldwide scale.
Criminals across the world have a lucrative new industry to pursue as demand for organs continues to rise. The need for organ transplants is currently more vital than ever. The United States performs over 100,000 organ transplants annually, including those of lungs, hearts, kidneys, livers, and pancreas(Serebrennikova et al., 2020). The medical community, the government, and morality are all critical factors in the practice of organ donation and transplantation, which is being used as a commodity. Taking advantage of people experiencing poverty by selling their organs is one of the many arguments to justify the recent uproar over such donations and transplantations. Aside from the obvious medical implications, this problem also has moral and legal ramifications.
Arguments for Banning Organ Trade
Immorality of Illegal Organ Trafficking
International law should prohibit the sale of human organs for numerous reasons. Those in need who are waiting for an organ may be negatively affected by the practice of accepting bids in life-or-death circumstances. The only way for someone to legally get an organ transplant is to be on a waiting list (Columb, 2020). Criminals have delved into selling or extracting body parts by force, thereby making many traded organs fall under the umbrella of human trafficking. Selling organs from living people is not only illegal but also highly unethical, dangerous, and classist.
Several key points are made in favor of the proposal to prohibit the sale of human organs. Undoubtedly, people have a moral obligation to do everything possible to preserve their lives. When there is a way to prevent someone else’s death, people have an obligation to help where they can. However, morality does not require people to take drastic measures, such as sacrificing their own lives to save others. There is no justification for ending one’s life because another person needs help (Columb, 2020). Organs should be donated without cost if the goal is to save lives. It is only fair that since people have been given the gift of life at no cost, they should freely provide the required organ to others who are in need. Thus, selling human organs is immoral and cannot be vindicated on ethical grounds. Criminals use discussions about preserving human life as a cover for secretly carrying out immoral transactions; thus, this is an erroneous assumption.
Immorality of Treating Human Parts as Commodities
Human dignity necessitates that people should not be treated as commodities by being bought and sold or having their organs utilized for medical research. Under no circumstances should anyone even consider the sale of a human organ (Kirillova et al., 2020). That is the same as seeing a fellow human being as a commodity to be stripped down and sold off organ by organ. Attributable to the demand for human organs in the black market, some persons kidnap and murder others to harvest their organs. When making a living, some people turn to the grisly trade of organs for transplantation. Nevertheless, even in countries where organ sales are permitted, this argument is not justifiable because no one should go out and murder others to get their organs.
Those with the least means in society will likely sell their organs for cash. All socioeconomic groups acknowledge the risks associated with organ sales. If a donor loses kidney function after having one removed, for instance, and cannot afford to purchase one, they will die. Nevertheless, the underprivileged will take the chance because they need the money from organ sales (Columb, 2020). Thus, the wealthy will take advantage of them by compensating them less and using financial inducements to force them to make donations. Hence, if the sale of organs is legalized, only those who can buy them will receive the benefits, while those who cannot will be at God’s mercy. The wealthy will not hesitate to buy if a loved one in the hospital requires an organ.
Dangers of Legalization of Organ Trade
There is a need for a rigorous quantitative study to determine the extent to which organ sales impact society. Families of both organ donors and recipients, as well as those whose loved ones were victims of trafficking and its consequences, should be included in the study sample. The illegal trade of human organs is rampant in today’s society, and it has proven impossible to stop. Drugged and murdered individuals have had their organs illegally extracted and sold on the black market (Kirillova et al., 2020).
Similarly, many people have been murdered and their organs removed after being enticed to remote locations. If the government legalizes organ sales and purchases, it will indirectly condone violent acts. If legalized, criminals in society will murder others for their organs and then sell them on the black market.
When an organ is sold for profit, a healthy donor risks severe injury or death to supply it. Due to the inherent uncertainty of any operation, including surgery, no one can guarantee that the donor will survive the procedure, as many have occasionally died during the surgical procedure. Additionally, it is not always the case that donors live their lives in perfect health and pass away naturally. The proliferation of human trafficking gangs is directly correlated with the rise in the unlawful sale of organs. Organ buyers and sellers convene to acquire and distribute donated body parts (Fransen et al., 2021).
Consequently, the primary goal of donating organs to those in need is no longer being met; material gain has become the driving force behind human endeavors. To this day, the impoverished and those who lack knowledge about the proper manner to sell their organs continue to be exploited and abandoned. Organ trafficking could also contribute to an increase in homicide rates.
The business of managing organs is worth billions of dollars, but at its heart is the suffering of victims who are murdered or forced to sell. In addition, there is the despair of abandoned patients who must decide whether to die horribly or buy. Organ sales should be abolished to end the escalating evils being concealed as consenting buyer-seller arrangements(Kirillova et al., 2020). Such evils include the illegal trade in organs, the trade of body parts from murdered people, the selling of kidneys by the poor, and the illegal purchase by patients. Moreover, spreading the word about organ demand on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter alerts criminals and provides new avenues to pursue their illicit goals.
The demand for organ transplants is rising and shows no signs of slowing down. The ongoing mechanisms of actual organ donation cannot meet the need; hence, a new approach is necessary. While governments worldwide struggle to find solutions to the problem of recruiting enough organ donors, the global black market for illegal transplants continues to thrive. Making the management of human organs illegal with severe penalties and lengthy prison sentences is a possible resolution of the issue (Columb, 2020). Another strategy could be to draft a carefully considered legislative mechanism that would sanction organ deals and free donations without authorizing illegal double-dealing.
Conclusion
Due to the high demand for body parts around the world and the scarcity of donors, organ sales need to be stopped since they encourage human trafficking and other criminal endeavors. Nonetheless, everyone should be aware that they have a moral obligation to save lives whenever possible. Therefore, no one should risk their safety in an attempt to save the lives of others.
Transplanting organs has played a key role in improving people’s health. Many people would have died of organ failure if this medical advancement had not been made. It is, therefore, not advised to rule out the likelihood of patients receiving timely care.
Unfortunately, the presence of corrupt intermediaries and criminals in the market has made it necessary to end organ sales to preserve the integrity of the practice of saving lives. No one should ever think about buying or selling a human organ. Hence, steps should be taken to regulate the process, preventing organ sales from becoming a source of trafficking and murder. While performing a transplant, the donor’s identity must be established to verify that they were granted the necessary consent.
References
Columb, S. (2020). Trading life: Organ trafficking, illicit networks, and exploitation. Stanford University Press.
Fransen, M. F., Addario, G., Bouten, C. V., Halary, F., Moroni, L., & Mota, C. (2021). Bioprinting of kidney in vitro models: Cells, biomaterials, and manufacturing techniques. Essays in Biochemistry, 65(3), 587-602.
Kirillova, A., Bushev, S., Abubakirov, A., & Sukikh, G. (2020). Bioethical and legal issues in 3D bioprinting. International Journal of Bioprinting, 6(3), 272-275.
Moniruzzaman, M. (2019). “The heavier selves“: Embodied and subjective suffering of organ sellers in Bangladesh. Ethos, 47(2), 233-253.
Serebrennikova, A. V., Minyaseva, T. F., Kala, N. S., Malinovsky, A. A., Malinovskaya, V. M., & Grynchak, S. V. (2020). Comparative analysis of foundations of legal regulation of criminal liability for organ trafficking in the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, and the European Union. Journal of Advanced Research in Law and Economics, 11(4), 1405-1415.