Organ Trade Issue - Research Paper Example

Organ Trade Introduction Life is the most precious thing in this world. Even after huge developments in science and technology, we are still unable to unveil the mysteries surrounding our life. Nobody knows from where we come and where we go after death. Even though science made tremendous achievements, it is still unable to produce a life particle in a laboratory setup which underlines the importance and value of life. The creator has made the human with so many parts or organs necessary to lead a successful life on earth. Each organ in our body has its own functions and duties and the combined efforts of all the organs in our body are necessary to lead a normal life. But because of the unexpected accidents and diseases or other life tragedies, many people lose some of their organs and often fell in troubles. For example, eyes are important organs in our body. Even when either one of the eye loses its ability to see, it is difficult for us to see things properly. The case of ears is also not different. Kidney is another organ which is necessary for filtering out impurities from our body. All the humans have two kidneys, but only one is necessary to perform all the purification acts of our body. It is possible for a person with defective kidney to transplant one from another person in order to lead a successful life. In other words, some of the defective human organs can be replaced with a new one if somebody agrees to donate one. Organ trade is a common thing in the current world nowadays. Many people argue in favor and against organ trade citing different social, economical and ethical reasons. This paper argues in favor of organ trade after analyzing the pros and cons of issue. In other words, buying and selling in human organs should be legalized under certain conditions.  Ethical issues related to organ trade Chris Chew (2007) has mentioned that the the most controversial topics of ethical debates about organ trades are about the procurement and distribution of human organs for transplant and are centered on the questions of how do we get the organs and how do we decide who will receive organ transplants? (Chew). It is a fact that the creator has created only the necessary organs for the humans. For example, even if a human can survive with the help of one kidney alone, God has created another one as a substitute in case of a failure to either of the kidneys. Under such circumstances, if a person donates or sells one kidney for saving the life of another one, he is playing with his life. According to Jesus Christ a person having two things should give one for another person who has nothing. In other words, giving one for kidney for another person who has problems with kidney is a sacred act which should be accepted and appreciated. Even though organ transplant has given new hope and expectations for thousands of the people all over world, some of the people have already questioned the trading of human organs just like other commercial items. Opponents of organ trade believe that commercialization of the human organs actually destroys the sacredness, divinity and value associated with human organs. For them it is ethically wrong to sell an organ which is given to us by the creator. At the same time, organ trade will help a person to save the life of another person. No religion or ethical principles prevent a person from helping another person. If a person was ready to sell his organs for saving the life of another, his intentions should be appreciated. Some people believe that organ trade may increase violence in the society. They are of the opinion that in order to steal the human organs, antisocial elements may kill people. There are many reports in which even doctors involved in the removal of kidney for trading activities without taking consent from the patient when they were admitted in the hospital for some other diseases. CNN, February 8, 2008 has reported an incident in which a doctor’s involvement in about 300 kidney transplants (CNN). At the same time violence and antisocial activities are increasing day by day and nobody expects the reduction in violence even if we stop organ trade. Considering the immense benefit organ trade provide to the struggling patients, it is cruel to avoid them the luxury of a life even if it is through organ trade. Health issues related to organ trade Some people are of the opinion that it is difficult for a person to survive long with the help of an organ of another person. They argue that our body has the natural tendency to avoid foreign organs and in due course organ transplantation may create problems even if it functions successfully for a temporary period of time. It is better to try maximum to save the life of a person. Even if an organ transplant extend the life of a person for a few months or days, it is critical for that person to do as much as things he wants. Considering the importance of life, some extension in life period is better than nothing. Yosuke Shimazono (2010) has mentioned that a heightened frequency of medical complications, including the transmission of HIV and the hepatitis B and C viruses during organ transplant (Shimazono). The above problems occur when the transplant conducted without proper analysis of the donor’s health conditions. Proper health checkups of the donor may help the patient immensely in preventing side effects after the transplant. “Most people who have an organ transplant live a pretty normal life” (WebMD) Other issues (legal, religion, economy, society...etc) related to organ trade Legal, religious, social and economical issues are other prominent issues involved in organ trade. Consent of the donor is the most important thing in organ trade. Ultimately, the donor is the person who gets profits or damages out of the organ trade and taking the consent of donor is important in organ trade. No country allows a patient to accept a human organ which is forcefully taken out from another person. “At the present moment, a donor has to expressly agree for organ donor ship in order for organs to be removed except in Singapore which have the controversial Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA). The Act assumed that all Singapore citizens have consented to be organ donors unless opted out. However, Muslims are exempted from the Act for religious reasons” (Chew) Some religions oppose the concept of organ trade. In their opinion, it is unethical to sell out the organs given to us by the God. The creator has created all our organs and the human have no authority on that. At the same time, all the religions advice its followers to do good things and organ donation is a sacred act if it is intended for saving the life of a person. Some people sell their organs just for making money. For them, there is nothing wrong in making money through selling of their organs if such selling may not create problems to the donor. Instead of living in poverty with all the organs in proper shape it is better to lead a better life through selling of organs. For example, a person needs only one kidney to perform all his body needs. It is possible for him to sell one kidney for substantial money and lead a prosperous life. In other words, the selling of organs is not only beneficial to the acceptor, but also to the donor as well. Social views with respect to organ selling are positive. In fact most of societies encourage organ donation. Many people are ready to donate their eyes and other useful organs to others after their death. Some people are ready to donate their organs to the medical science for further research. In short, organ selling or donation is an accepted social activity all over the world because of the immense value associated with it. Conclusions Organ trade should be encouraged even though it raises many concerns all over the world. The major questions raised against organ trade are with respect to ethics and commercialization of human organs. Some people believe that it is unethical to sell a body part for profit making purpose because of the immense value associated withy it. At the same time selling of a body part may economically beneficial to the seller and it will help the acceptor to sustain his life in a comfortable manner. Helping a person to save his life is a noble act in my opinion and hence I strongly support the organ trade after analyzing both the sides of the issue. Works Cited 1. CNN. 2008. Police parade kidney-snatching 'mastermind'. 8 June 2010. 2. Chew, Chris. 2007. Legal And Ethical Issues Of Organ Transplants. 8 June 2010. 3. Shimazono, Yosuke. 2010. “The State of the International Organ Trade: a Provisional Picture Based on Integration of Available Information”. 8 June 2010. 4. WebMD. 2010. “Common Health Problems After an Organ Transplant”. 8 June 2010. Read More