JSacky
Oct 13, 2014
Undergraduate / Black Market Organ Transplanting - Georgetown SFS Supplemental Essay [2]
Briefly discuss a current global issue, indicating why you consider it important and what you suggest should be done to deal with it.
A global issue that many people disregard is the black market of organ selling. In recent years, because of many advances in medicine, the trafficking and sale of organs has skyrocketed. This, combined with the fact that there is a lack of supply of organs worldwide, means that the illegal practice is becoming more prevalent. In developed nations like the United States and Western Europe, this is not as prevalent of an issue because of the medical networks and care offered to citizens. However, in developing nations, such as Bhutan, organ trafficking is a much more serious problem. Defined by the UN, the three types of organ trafficking are: theft of an organ, false payment for an organ transplant, and false diagnosis precipitating the need to remove an organ. All three definitions are internationally outlawed by The Guiding Principles on Human Organ Transplantation.
This trafficking is a clear violation of human rights. These people in developing countries are being deprived their lives the benefit of someone with money. In these developing nations, anyone that sells their organ is compensated the contractual fee, because the doctors and traffickers take a much larger cut than originally negotiated. What exacerbates the situation is that in countries where organ trafficking is rampant, such as the countries of Bhutan and Bangladesh, the living conditions of donors is not one for them to maintain good health. Organ donors and transplantees need to be constantly monitored by specialist doctors. Any medical care and treatment will not be available to these people, and thus, more than likely these people will pass before their time. For the world's governments to allow this practice to continue would be a declaration that someone's life with money is of more value than a poor person's life.
The best way to solve the issue of organ trafficking is to eliminate the environment that it which it exists. The main reasons that trafficking blossoms in developing regions of the world is because there is little legal consequence, and economically, people have to turn to organ selling to get out of debt and can't afford medical care they desperately need.
Legally, both the process of transplanting and the consequences for traffickers must be reformed. In the trafficking capital of the world, Bhutan, many traffickers will forge documents, then travel to India, where many hospitals will proceed because there is no efficient way to cross-check the documents. Using this loophole, traffickers can easily forge documents and not have to worry about prosecution. To fix this, cross-country organ transplants should be illegal except for extreme circumstances. This will allow countries to more effectively cross-reference files and medical history. The only exception is if the validity of the organ or the life of the patient would be at risk if the operation had to be performed in the country of origin. Because very few anti-trafficking laws exist in these countries, an increase in severity would also cause the issue to diminish severely. People who seek out transplants should also be prosecuted, because they were fully aware of the circumstances in which they were entering.
Economically, for some people this is their only option to get their family out of poverty. For instance, the GDP per capita of Bangladesh, a hotspot for organ trafficking, is only $829. Because people here often run into insurmountable debt problems, their only escape is to sell their organs. If these people were not stuck in poverty, then they would not have to sell organs to escape this debt. If these people had the money to seek care before a Because of this, having organizations like the UN, and the EU give loans and creating economic opportunities for these countries will help destroy the black market of organ trading. Not only will it diminish this black market, it will also have the added side-effect of boosting the overall economy of these countries.
*I can make a personal hook about someone in my family who received a transplant, should I
Briefly discuss a current global issue, indicating why you consider it important and what you suggest should be done to deal with it.
A global issue that many people disregard is the black market of organ selling. In recent years, because of many advances in medicine, the trafficking and sale of organs has skyrocketed. This, combined with the fact that there is a lack of supply of organs worldwide, means that the illegal practice is becoming more prevalent. In developed nations like the United States and Western Europe, this is not as prevalent of an issue because of the medical networks and care offered to citizens. However, in developing nations, such as Bhutan, organ trafficking is a much more serious problem. Defined by the UN, the three types of organ trafficking are: theft of an organ, false payment for an organ transplant, and false diagnosis precipitating the need to remove an organ. All three definitions are internationally outlawed by The Guiding Principles on Human Organ Transplantation.
This trafficking is a clear violation of human rights. These people in developing countries are being deprived their lives the benefit of someone with money. In these developing nations, anyone that sells their organ is compensated the contractual fee, because the doctors and traffickers take a much larger cut than originally negotiated. What exacerbates the situation is that in countries where organ trafficking is rampant, such as the countries of Bhutan and Bangladesh, the living conditions of donors is not one for them to maintain good health. Organ donors and transplantees need to be constantly monitored by specialist doctors. Any medical care and treatment will not be available to these people, and thus, more than likely these people will pass before their time. For the world's governments to allow this practice to continue would be a declaration that someone's life with money is of more value than a poor person's life.
The best way to solve the issue of organ trafficking is to eliminate the environment that it which it exists. The main reasons that trafficking blossoms in developing regions of the world is because there is little legal consequence, and economically, people have to turn to organ selling to get out of debt and can't afford medical care they desperately need.
Legally, both the process of transplanting and the consequences for traffickers must be reformed. In the trafficking capital of the world, Bhutan, many traffickers will forge documents, then travel to India, where many hospitals will proceed because there is no efficient way to cross-check the documents. Using this loophole, traffickers can easily forge documents and not have to worry about prosecution. To fix this, cross-country organ transplants should be illegal except for extreme circumstances. This will allow countries to more effectively cross-reference files and medical history. The only exception is if the validity of the organ or the life of the patient would be at risk if the operation had to be performed in the country of origin. Because very few anti-trafficking laws exist in these countries, an increase in severity would also cause the issue to diminish severely. People who seek out transplants should also be prosecuted, because they were fully aware of the circumstances in which they were entering.
Economically, for some people this is their only option to get their family out of poverty. For instance, the GDP per capita of Bangladesh, a hotspot for organ trafficking, is only $829. Because people here often run into insurmountable debt problems, their only escape is to sell their organs. If these people were not stuck in poverty, then they would not have to sell organs to escape this debt. If these people had the money to seek care before a Because of this, having organizations like the UN, and the EU give loans and creating economic opportunities for these countries will help destroy the black market of organ trading. Not only will it diminish this black market, it will also have the added side-effect of boosting the overall economy of these countries.
*I can make a personal hook about someone in my family who received a transplant, should I