Is there an illegal organ trade?
There is a worldwide shortage of organs available for transplantation, yet the commercial trade of human organs is illegal in all countries except Iran.
How many illegal organ transplants are performed each year?
Despite international and domestic efforts, about 10 percent of all transplants worldwide are believed to be illegal—approximately 12,000 organs per year [10].
How did organ trafficking start?
It originated in India in the 1980s; in the following years, Pakistan, the Philippines, Egypt and China (where the organs were alleged to have come from executed prisoners) became hubs of commercial transplants. Such illegal transplants are also known to have been done in Turkey, Kosovo, South Africa and other sites.
Why should the sale of human organs be illegal?
The sale of organs negatively affects their altruistic donation by the public as well as the development of local cadaver procurement programs by national governments. All forms of paid organ donation should therefore be made illegal in all countries of the world.
What is the problem with organ sales?
Arguments against organ sale are grounded in two broad considerations: (1) sale is contrary to human dignity, and (2) sale violates equity. Both these objections are examined in this article and it is concluded that they reflect a state of moral paternalism rather than pragmatism.
Why is paying for organs illegal?
One of the strictest tenets of the U.S. transplant system is that paying for organs is forbidden. The ban, imposed by the National Transplant Act of 1984, was designed to protect the poor from being taken advantage of by the wealthy.
Is organ trafficking a form of human trafficking?
ABSTRACT. Organ trafficking is possibly one of the most covert forms of human trafficking. A global shortage of organs has driven the industry, relying on poor populations to be donors and wealthy foreigners to be recipients.