The International Organ Trading System

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Organ trafficking has been a hot topic of debate for decades. The controversy over whether or not the organ market should be legalized stays in play, but it is currently illegal under the H.R.6573 - Trafficking in Organs Victims Protection Act by the 112th Congress. This act states “that it shall be U.S. policy to: (1) end the offensive practice of exploiting the poor and vulnerable for the purpose of harvesting and trafficking their organs, and (2) combat criminal trade in human organs” (http://beta.congress.gov). The shortage of viable and salvageable organs has led to the evolution of the international organ trading system, and the list only continues to grow. Factors like the 1968 Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, which prohibited cadaveric organ donation without the decedent’s written authorization or their families consent, persistently cause the waitlist to grow. This trade has conformed to such a supreme that an estimated 10,000 black market transplants of purchased organs now take place annually – more than one every hour – according to the World Health Organization. Trafficking is defined as the commercial exchange of goods or as an illegal or improper commercial activity. In the case of organs, it would pertain to involving commercializing organs in an exchange for another commodity, such as money. The illegal organ trade, both nationally and internationally, has been recognized as a constraining health policy issue in our communities, but it still continues to take place in multiple different forms. Firstly, people can be forced or tricked into giving up one of their organs. Secondly, there are situations where “donors” agree to sell their organs, but end up getting paid less than what the organ is actually worth, or less t...

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Although I do understand both sides of this issue, I believe that the black market for organ trafficking and trading, as is, should remain illegal because it is unethical and creates more problems. Let me be clear, I would, and do, only support this statement if the fine line between organ trafficking and an all-around fair trade is made clear. I do believe that tin some, if not the majority of, cases, the organ trafficking market, when done willingly by all parties, benefits the people involved, especially the recipients of the organs. However, I also believe that the black market and how it currently functions ultimately creates more problems than it resolves, like I said before. For these reasons, I do think that the current black market for organ trafficking, and all of the processes associated with it, should prevail as illegal.

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