The Trade of Human Organs - Pros and Cons - Case Study Example

The Trade of Human Organs Introduction As the world comes to a position of becoming more ‘globalised’, trade in different commodities has flourished and nearly everything that could have been sold in the international market as a commodity has been sold. In fact, even a thing such as energy is taken as a commodity to be traded between interested parties. However, trade in human organs is something which has its supporters as well as detractors (Economist, 2006). By taking a pragmatic look at the whole situation while keeping an economic point of view, it becomes easy to suggest that the trade of human organs should be legalised. The fundamental of economic theory are based on the ideas of supply and demand which highlight the case of the organ trade in Canada. There are more than 4,000 people waiting for a transplant in Canada and some of them are forced to go to India or other regions in order to find individuals from which they can buy organs. The economist argues that a system of compensation for organ donors within Canada could help ease the situation of illegal trades since under the table deals could be harmful for all concerned individuals (Economist, 2006). A Fine Example The case of Iran is given as a perfect example where individuals can advertise for the parts they need and interested sellers can contact them with their prices and other demands. The recipient of the organ is supposed to take care of the needs of the donor during and after the trade as taken place and those who sell organs get money to offset their needs. A donor who was interviewed by the economist said that he realises that he will not be able to lift heavy things after the operation but he will still be able to live with one kidney (Economist, 2006). Thus in economic terms, there is a demand for organ donations and there is a supply for organs (McLaughlin et. al., 2004). The government in the case of Iran only works as an intermediary much as the government in the United States or the UK would work towards being an intermediary in the sales of automobiles. In America, the time delay in getting a kidney is presently five years while in the 1980s it used to be less than a year. In the UK, there are 6,000 people on the waiting list for a kidney while less than 2,000 transplant procedures take place in any given year (Economist, 2006). The Economic Situation The economics of the transplant equation are perfectly supportive of the idea of transplanting kidneys. The cost of the entire operation and a lifetime use of anti organ rejection drugs cost less than three years of dialysis procedures. Kidneys that have been donated by a living donor last for an average of 22 years while kidneys coming from a deceased person last only 14 years. On the other hand, the black market creates several issues such as the quality of the donated kidney as well as the suitability of the donor. In fact, making the process illegal has dire economic and social consequences since individuals may have body parts stolen from them or they may be given less than what they deserve. The black market creates illegal kidney trading operations such as the one seen in Brazil where poor Brazilians were used as their kidneys were sold off to Israeli customers. The Brazilians were given false promises as to the money they would receive, the support they would have from their donors and the care they would get after the operation (McLaughlin et. al., 2004). The economic argument stems from the fact that as long as some individual is desperate for kidneys and as long as s/he has the required resources, they will continue to purchase them from those who are desperate for money (McLaughlin et. al., 2004). The trade is impossible to stop and making it illegal simply causes the costs to rise for all concerned parties while the risk is also increased substantially (IHEU, 2006). On the other hand, making it legal will allow the government to control and regulate this trade much as any other trade which is regulated by the government. Of course there is an ethical question involved here as to if human organs can be traded as commodities and individuals such as Usher (2006) suggest that human parts are not commodities and free donation has to be encourage more than the idea of trade. However, there is undoubtedly an economic side of the process which should not be ignored and if the donation comes with economic benefits for those who need it most, it would be cruel to simply ask them to give up their kidneys or other organs. Indeed there would be economic consequences of legalizing the trade of human organs since the supply for organs could far outstrip supply if the process is legalized. In this case, price stability would come to the market overtime and a global price level of kidneys of various qualities could be established quite quickly (IHEU, 2006). With time, the stable prices and government regulation would mean the end of the black market and the end of waiting lists for those who are in desperate need of organ transplants. By making the trade legal and allowing selling individuals to get in direct contact with the buyers, the governments of the world would be doing all concerned parties a huge favor. Considering the situation as it stands, a case study shows that an Israeli buyer paid more than $60,000 for the kidney he bought while the person who actually sold the kidney was given less than six thousand dollars. The rest was kept by the middle men who arranged the deal and conducted the operation as well as transport procedures (McLaughlin et. al., 2004). The Aftermath A year later, the same donor was found living in pretty much the same conditions as he was before and slightly worse off since his health did not permit him to work as much he had previously. His family had suffered from having a boom in money conditions for a while which eventually ran out since they did not budget or make proper plans for using the money. There is a similar situation in India where donors receive less than ten percent of what had been taken from the buyer and they too did not know how to take care of the money (McLaughlin et. al., 2004). With the application of proper economic controls, the money given to the seller could be substantially increased and held by the government in trust for the education of the children of the seller or for other investment purposes such as buying a house. Clearly there is a case for creating a white market for organ buying/selling and as long as there are willing buyers and sellers, the government should do all it can to make sure that the process is not hindered. While other markets such as prostitution and formerly illegal drugs have been legalized for the most part in many countries, the trade of organs should also be given its due consideration (IHEU, 2006). This consideration comes from taking an open minded approach to the idea of buying and selling organs as long as no one is hurt or cheated during the process (IHEU, 2006). Of course, keeping the trade under covers and ensuring the existence of a black market by not allowing legal trades only means that there will be continual risks for buyers as well as sellers. At the same time the poor sellers will continue to be cheated out of what they really deserve. Word Count: 1,355 Works Cited Economist. 2006, ‘Your part or mine?’, The Economist, [Online] Available at: http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8173393 IHEU. 2006, ‘Why markets in non-vital human transplant organs should be legalized’, International Humanist and Ethical Union, [Online] Available at: http://www.iheu.org/node/2280 McLaughlin. A. et. al., 2004, ‘What is a kidney worth?’, Christian Science Monitor, [Online] Available at: http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0609/p01s03-wogi.htm Usher, S. 2006, ‘A trade in human misery’, The Guardian, [Online] Available at: http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/sean_usher/2006/11/running_short_on_cash_sell_a_k.html Read More