Introduction
Organ sales is a highly controversial topic that is debated all over the world. Some believe that buying and selling organs cannot be done ethically, and it will provoke an economic class war (Bramstedt 2014). At the same time, others tend to highlight the importance of legalizing organ sales, as it will help save people’s lives and prevent violence (Gregory 2011). The present essay supports the first view and makes the following statement: Organ sales exploit families at a disadvantage and favor rich people, creating an illegal black market. To explore the theme in-depth and to argue the thesis statement, a specific case was chosen. It is a research conducted by Monir Moniruzzaman from Michigan State University that focuses on the exploitation of poor people from Bangladesh selling their organs (Moniruzzaman 2012). The paper’s outline consists of five parts: the case summary, the legal situation regarding organ trade, the thesis definitions criteria, the thesis versus the case, and the conclusion.
The Case by Moniruzzaman: “Living Cadavers” in Bangladesh”
The case researched by Monir Moniruzzaman reveals a growing world market for body parts, which includes kidneys, livers, and corneas. Poor people were forced to sell their organs due to life circumstances. Besides, they were often cheated by unethical brokers and recipients who lived in the USA: sellers did not receive the promised money and were left with life-threatening complications (MSU Today 2012). Due to the fact that organ selling is illegal, the abovementioned brokers forged documents demonstrating that a seller and a recipient are family members. Then they registered the act as a family donation, which is legal in the ern countries (Moniruzzaman 2012).
Moreover, medical professionals, private institutions, and hospitals did not try to prevent the violation of the law and human rights, as it was out of their commercial interests. The sellers’ choices cannot be called free and autonomous, as they are often cheated, misled, and manipulated. They need to feed their families and fight for survival. Their agreement for ‘donating’ an organ cannot be considered ethical. A vivid example, the case of 23-year-old Mehedi Hasan, is described in the study. The young man sold a part of his liver to a rich recipient. Due to the low level of education, Hasan was unaware of the surgery’s severe health consequences. He was attracted by the promise of a substantial financial benefit. As a result, Hasan did not receive the whole amount of funds and was left with a serious health impact (Moniruzzaman 2012). The case demonstrates that decisions to sell organs cannot be described as totally free and unaffected, but rather made out of dire need.
Legal Situation Regarding the Organs Trade
All countries, including the USA, experience a shortage of organs. In the USA, around 140,000 people are waiting for transplantations, and on average, they need to wait for 100 days approximately (Shimazono 2007). Organ trade is illegal in all countries except Iran. However, transplant tourism and organ trafficking remain present and extensive throughout the globe. The debate on legalizing the organ trade is ongoing and intense, even though there are still many severe arguments against it.
The Thesis Definitions Criteria
In order to argue the thesis statement, definitions, criteria and ,explanations should be provided. The idea sounds as follows: Organ sales exploit families at a disadvantage and favor rich people, creating an illegal black market. First of all, it should be defined what is meant by families who are at a ‘disadvantage’. The mentioned term is understood as a condition that causes a family or a person certain life issues and leads them to be less successful than other members of society. It can be, for instance, serious financial difficulties, lack of access to education, and other circumstances that significantly lower a person’s or a family’s living conditions.
Furthermore, ‘favoring rich people’ is understood as a paradox in the concept of equal human rights, which is widely accepted around the world, especially in developed countries. All patients should have equal access to medicine. If organ sales become legal, the abovementioned statement loses its initial meaning and collapses (Bramstedt 2014). In this case, only rich people will have the possibilities to allow ‘buying a life’, whereas poor people or middle-income will always suffer and will not receive the help needed. Even if governments or the global community control the organ trade, it will remain unclear who can receive transplantation first. Moreover, there is a high risk of corruption in this area, as transplantation is a matter of life and death. In addition, when people at a disadvantage are ready to sell their organs to the rich, they set the stage for an illegal black market. It is especially dangerous because the participants of such deals are not protected either by the state or the world community.
The Thesis Statement Versus the Case
The case by Moniruzzaman, which was discussed in the second paragraph, illustrates the thesis statement’s point and meets the definition criteria analyzed above. First of all, people from Bangladesh who sold their organs to wealthy people were clearly at a position of disadvantage. As in the case of Mehedi Hasan, a young man from a developing country had a low level of education to assess his actions’ possible consequences fully. Moreover, he had severe financial issues, lived in poverty, and considered the sale of a part of his liver as the only way to escape the problematic situation. The two conditions (low level of education and extreme poverty) can be viewed as a situation that disadvantaged people.
As it was shown in the case, the young man traded a part of his liver to a wealthy man who died shortly after the surgery. The fact that Hasan sold it to a rich person proves the argument that the wealthy part of the society benefits from the organ trade. Besides, the young man was cheated and did not receive the money he was promised, as for obvious reasons, the agreement was made on the black market. Thus, Hasan was not protected by the state or international community and as a consequence could not seek help.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be stated that organ sales exploit families who are in need and favor rich people, creating an illegal black market. The thesis statement was discussed and analyzed on the example of the Bangladesh case researched by Moniruzzaman. The case demonstrated that the young man who was at a disadvantage in low education and poverty was forced to sell a part of his liver. Moreover, a wealthy person benefited from Hasan’s difficulties, creating a black market deal.
References
Bramstedt, K. A. (2014). Buying and selling organs would create an economic class war.The New York Times. Web.
Gregory, A. (2011). Why legalizing organ sales would help to save lives, end violence.The Atlantic. Web.
Moniruzzaman, M. (2012). “Living Cadavers” in Bangladesh: Bioviolence in the human organ bazaar.Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 26(1), 69-91. Web.
MSU Today (2012) The growing wing market for human organs exploits the poor.MSU Today. Web.
Shimazono, Y. (2007). The state of the international organ trade: A provisional picture basedth on integration of available information. World Health Organization. Web.