transplant organ trafficking

this topic is tremendously volatile and every discussion i have seen has deteriorated into nonsense. i'm hoping this crew is going to be able to handle it intelligently.

there are at least two distinct moral issues. clearly, if a person or the next of kin of a deceased person does not consent to allow transplant-able organs to be harvested from their corpse, one should think there has been a crime committed.

the chinese have been accused of harvesting organs from prisoners without consent. the israelis have also been accused of non-consensual organ harvesting including unfounded accusations of israeli disaster relief workers harvesting organs from haitian earthquake victims.

the other, only slightly less gruesome scenario is the consensual purchase of organs for profit. there was an indictment in new jersey last summer involving organ gray marketing that implicated orthodox jews and the new jersey governor.

can this community dig into this and discuss these issues with some insight and reason?

 

This is what happens when it's declared that you don't own your body.

 

I should be allowed to sell my organs if I desire, they should belong to me but they really don't now do they?

 

i'm pretty sure that you can sell organs --- you'll probably find something like bodyparts.com set up to broker it over the web.

there's not much you can sell off and still live. i hear you can get a pretty good price for an extra kidney, but then you've get big problems if the other one fails.

 

Can't legally sell them in the USA and people donate one of their kidneys all the time, I just think that I should be able to, what if a person was terminal with lung cancer but had good kidneys and other parts, why not sell them now to help loved ones financially..

 

Can you own anything when you're dead?

 

Just as your will and everything can be carried out after your death... unless you think other property can be seized by the state upon your demise, to do as the state sees fit

 

Why shouldn't my heirs get to part me out like an old Chevy?...It's not like I'm (ab)using my liver anymore.

 

I like the scene Walter E. Williams sets up best...

Undertaker, to Dr. Williams' daughter after his untimely demise:
We're sorry for your loss, Miss Williams. Would it be OK if we used your father's organs to transplant and save the lives of others?

Daughter (distraught): No, no...I want to send my father to his reward just the way he has always been!

Undertaker: We're giving $10,000 for kidneys, $25,000 for livers, and $40,000 for hearts.

Daughter: You want his retinas, too?

 

I don't think there should be a crime for relatives denying organ transplantation, but if the deceased is registered, that should be the deciding factor, not what he relative says. Not sure it that's how its done. I do think its unethical to deny someone a chance at life for organs that are just going to become worm food anyway.

I love what rightwinger brought up in the other thread. If you are willing to donate your organs, you get priority for an organ that becomes available over someone who is not willing to donate organs upon death. If no organ donor is a match, then obviously it can go to the person who needs it, regardless of whether they are an organ donor or not. If you are not willing to donate your organs upon death, why should you get an organ to survive. Maybe more people would think twice about opting out, unless there is some religious reason which I think for some religions that is an issue, as stupid as it may sound to me

Harvesting from living patients, I can't see anybody not being against that. ANd selling your organs is also unethical as it would mainly effect poor people who are desperate and cause health issue for them. That I guess can be debatable.