Organ Trafficking: The Illegal Trade of Organs
Every ten minutes that pass a person is added to the national organ transplant waiting list, and every day 22 people die while waiting for an organ transplant. Today there are 114,851 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant that they may never receive (“UNOS’ Beginning”). For some people, in these extreme circumstances they turn to alternative measures. Hence, the illicit trade of buying and selling organs. It began in the 1980’s and was fueled by the growing demand and diminishing supply of organs accessible for transplant (Efrat). Organ transplantation is the surgical process of removing an organ and transferring it to the living body of another person. Living people can donate their kidneys, parts of their lungs, liver, pancreas and intestines. The most common illegally traded organ is the kidney due to an increased demand. Another reason being, humans have two kidneys, but are able to live a healthy life with just one (Houser).
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The World Health Organization estimates that five to ten percent of 100,000 organs transplanted per year are done illegally (Glazer). The full scope of the global organ black market remains unknown due to transactions going unrecognized. It is hard to determine all illegal transactions because the transplant doctors and hospitals either don’t know they are happening or they are complicit with the deals (Glazer). However, it has been determined that the illegal trade of organs estimates between $840 million dollars and $1.7 billion dollars annually (Houser). Every nation has banned the buying and selling of organs expect for Iran, where transactions are legal and funded by the government (Glazer). However, most organ trafficking is also known as organ tourism due to people from wealthier countries traveling to poor undeveloped nations to receive