The Truth Behind Purchasing Illegal Organs for Transplant The US Department of Health and Human Services reports that an average of 22 people die every day waiting for a donated organ (HRSA). As a result, desperate and wealthy people are willing to pay thousands for black market organs. An illegally purchased kidney alone sells for between 30,000 and 100,000 in America (Interlandi, 2009). However, the donor is likely given less than a tenth of that money. The story of Nawaraj Pariyar illustrates the harm associated with the purchase of illegal organs. He is a poor villager living in Kavre, Nepal who fell victim to the organ trafficking market. He is not the only one in his village either, many other poor men and women’s lives are affected
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They are more likely to sell their body parts than someone who is financially comfortable. Even now when it is illegal to sell your organs, gangs still take advantage of poor people. A researcher named Syed Naqi and his team have traveled around the world and interviewed organ sellers. While in Pakistan they interviewed 239 people. They found that 62% of them earned between $10-$30 USD every month. While, 32% earned less. They also found that 90% of the organ sellers were illiterate (Cohen, 2013). All of the people they interviewed around the world were poorer, and usually illiterate. One more thing they all have in common is debt. In India 96% of the people who sold their kidneys were in debt. Each of them admitted to being in more debt than they would ever be able to pay off in their lifetimes (Cohen, 2013). When in a situation like this, it makes selling their kidney a lot easier than it should be. They are more worried about earning an extra thousand dollars than they are their own health. Organized crime members take advantage of this by luring them in with promises of riches or job opportunities. The immorality of doing this stems from the fact that the organ sellers are never given the full amount of money they are promised. The illegal market produces around 600 million dollars every year. While the thousands of donors providing those kidneys are barely compensated for their troubles (Kelly). In Pariyar’s case, he was given $300 when he was originally offered $30,000. Besides the taking advantage of the fact that poor people are desperate, they also take advantage of the fact that most are uneducated as well. It makes them easier targets for organ trafficking. In Bangladesh Syed and his team found out that, the majority of sellers were promised that the operation would be safe, and that they would be able to live normally afterwards. Then they were told stories about a sleeping
They are more likely to sell their body parts than someone who is financially comfortable. Even now when it is illegal to sell your organs, gangs still take advantage of poor people. A researcher named Syed Naqi and his team have traveled around the world and interviewed organ sellers. While in Pakistan they interviewed 239 people. They found that 62% of them earned between $10-$30 USD every month. While, 32% earned less. They also found that 90% of the organ sellers were illiterate (Cohen, 2013). All of the people they interviewed around the world were poorer, and usually illiterate. One more thing they all have in common is debt. In India 96% of the people who sold their kidneys were in debt. Each of them admitted to being in more debt than they would ever be able to pay off in their lifetimes (Cohen, 2013). When in a situation like this, it makes selling their kidney a lot easier than it should be. They are more worried about earning an extra thousand dollars than they are their own health. Organized crime members take advantage of this by luring them in with promises of riches or job opportunities. The immorality of doing this stems from the fact that the organ sellers are never given the full amount of money they are promised. The illegal market produces around 600 million dollars every year. While the thousands of donors providing those kidneys are barely compensated for their troubles (Kelly). In Pariyar’s case, he was given $300 when he was originally offered $30,000. Besides the taking advantage of the fact that poor people are desperate, they also take advantage of the fact that most are uneducated as well. It makes them easier targets for organ trafficking. In Bangladesh Syed and his team found out that, the majority of sellers were promised that the operation would be safe, and that they would be able to live normally afterwards. Then they were told stories about a sleeping