Disadvantages Of Organ Transplants

Introduction

The trade of human organs in order to transplant is illegal in most countries. The increasing demand for organs and increasing rate of trade show the importance of this issue in today’s world. According to WHO, 91 countries conduct organ transplantation and every 10th organ transplanted are illegal (World Health Organization 2010). Kidney and Urology foundation of America found that in the US in early 2010 there were more than 121,678 individuals waiting for a new organ and for about 34000 individuals are added every year (Kidney & Urology Foundation of America 2016). In 1968, the United States executed the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act of 1968, which gave people the privilege to give their organs after their demise. Later, the

There are many organs which can be transplanted and one of the most commonly transplanted organs are the kidneys. One of the treatment methods used for kidney diseases is dialysis. James Stacey Taylor states that citizens spent an astonishing $29 billion on treatment of kidneys using dialysis, which is 7% of all the Medicare’s budget. Fantastically, only 2.5 percent of this $29 billion was spent on procuring and transplanting kidneys (Taylor 2012). This data clearly illustrates that transplantation is far less expensive and significantly more valuable than dialysis. It supports the research by Berger (2011) which demonstrated that transplants save more than $100,000 per patient, with respect to dialysis. Such tendency shows that kidney transplantation is preferable to treatment, however the shortage of organs do not allow candidates to do it immediately and put them on waiting list, thus patients require dialysis. So, the legalization of organ trade would allow people to transplant organs and government can save money due to cheaper type of

Due to the organ shortage, many transplanted organs are taken from elderly or ill people. This kind of actions may lead to the occurrence of different diseases in the recipient’s body, failing organs or cancer. However, waiting could be more dangerous, as there is a risk of death (Tabarrok 2010). Moreover, the possibility of doing it legally improve the conditions where the transplantation is done. If before it was done in dirty, unsanitary places with the risk of negative consequences, now it can be prevented. Thus, the legalization of this process could affect positively to the health of