Body Fragments/organs being sold illegally in the U.S

Body Fragments/organs being sold illegally in the U.S

By:Denise Ortiz 

On December 5th, 2016 a female girl named Denise found a news story about people selling an organ of themselves illegally for money to black markets. The news scare revealed that some people even sell body fragments from corpses to people to make money. This is very dangerous because the people who sold an organ from their body to someone else could go to jail. As well many of the people who bought an organ/body fragment from a black market from a living person or corpse could be at risk of being infected with a disease that the past owner could of had. Putting the united state citizen buyer more at risk of dying than living. As well as selling the body fragments/organs illegally to united states citizens is violating many human rights. Yet again the sellers of the organs (that of course have a healthy organ) could save thousands of people’s lives by selling them a body fragment/organ.

In the article Market For Black Market Organs Expands by, Tammy Leitner and Lisa Capitanini, there was information found about people selling an organ for Money to black markets. Selling body fragments/organs for human benefits or human transferrin is against the law. Therefore the people who sell their organs for money can end up prison. The article Market for black market Organs expands states that “receiving or transferring any human organ for human transplantation in exchange for money or consideration is against the law and can be punishable with prison time, a fine of up to $50,000, or both.” This shows how selling an organ for money in the U.S is illegal and comes with many consequences to those who sold a body fragment illegally.

 In Chicago and Detroit there was a black market found that sold human bodies and human fragments to many United State citizen buyers. Many of these bodies (corpses) were originally donated for medical research but Instead were resold to other people including the public clients. According to the article Big money being made selling body parts in Detroit and Chicago “companies sold bodies and human parts that were donated for medical research on a “thriving black market for body parts.” It seems that the remains were not only being sold to buyers in the United States, but also to clients on the international market.” This became a problem because the body fragments that were sold could off been from diseased people.That would cause health effects on the patient that got the body fragment.  According to the article Big money being made selling body parts in Detroit and Chicago “A prevalent fear is that some of the body fragments that were donated and then sold may have been from diseased cadavers, thus posing a huge risk to the public’s health.” Making it a huge risk and problem to the public because the citizens could die due to a disease they could get from the organ/body fragment (of the past owner) that they had implanted into them.

Yet if people sold their organs to black markets for money… then the organ(s) could end up helping the life of someone in need of an organ. It could even save many people’s lives and could give them another chance to live. According to the article Market for black market Organs Expands “statistics indicate about one patient dies each day while on the waiting list for an organ,” This shows how many patients die while waiting for an organ.The black market that sells the organs could help save time and lives of people in need of an organ such as the life of Daniel Perez. According to the author Market for black markets Organs expands  "It's tough to hear about people who could buy a kidney when there's people like myself waiting patiently for years to receive one," said Daniel Perez, who was diagnosed with kidney failure about two years ago. The 35-year-old Logan Square resident has been on a waiting list for 18 months, and until there’s a compatible donor” This young man was diagnosed with kidney failure and has been waiting for a donor for 18 months now. Showing how the black market (that sells organs) can save the life of Daniel Perez. Since patience like Mr.Perez have to wait for many years until the doctors find a donor for him. According to the article Market for black market Organs Expands “Patients like Perez have to wait on average three to six years for an organ. It's that kind of desperation that has led some to extreme measures to circumvent the national organ donor list.” This shows how many people die due to waiting to long for an organ transplant.“The U of C program has about 650 patients on the list for an organ, and there are more than 122,000 people nationally on the waitlist” This shows how 122,000 lives can be saved if they get an organ/body fragment from the black market. The black market could help thousands of people. If only the black market were to become legal and safe.

In the article Why Legalizing Organ Sales Would Help to Save Lives, End Violence  it states that organ transplants have saved many people’s lives while also having a healthy life. According to the the lawyer of Levy Izhak from the article “It has been deemed the first proven case of black market organ trafficking in the United States. “His lawyers argue that his lawbreaking was benevolent: “The transplants were successful and the donors and recipients are now leading full and healthy lives." This shows how the lawyer of Levy Izhak Rosenbaum proved that organ transplants from black markets (being sold illegally) have saved many people from dying. The author stated that volunteers who would sell an organ could become legal and save many people. According to Levy Izhak “Indeed, why are organ sales illegal? Donors of blood, semen, and eggs, and volunteers for medical trials, are often compensated. Why not apply the same principle to organs?” Many people could be payed to save a life. Making them a hero for the injured person and the injured person helping them by paying them. It would be a win- win situation.According to the article Why Legalizing Organ Sales Would Help to Save Lives, End Violence “Yet, the organ trade continues to operate in the shadows and questionable activities occur in the medical establishment under the color of law. Even today, doctors sometimes legally harvest organ tissue from dead patients without consent.” This shows how doctors have done it before. Why not continue doing it to save others. What do you think about this, Is the black market good or bad for U.S citizens?

As I researched I noticed that some human rights were being violated by this conflict. Selling body fragments illegally in black markets in Chicago and Detroit has ended up violating many human rights. Some of the human rights that are being violated by this are the right to life and the right to your own things. If everyone has the right to life then they are suppose to feel safe. Don’t you agree? According to the human rights: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.” This shows how everyone has the right to life. (to feel secure/safe) but they aren't safe if they get a disease from someone else due to an organ transplant or a different body fragment transplant. The person who bought the body fragment from the black market could of gotten it to safe his/her own life or to save someone’s life. But the person that would get the body part could have the risk of getting a disease of the corpse or living donor who gave them the body part. Therefore the right to life would be violated, because you wouldn't be safe from getting an organ that didn't get checked (doctors didn't see if the organ/body fragment was healthy or not). As well as the right to your own things… According to human rights “Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.” This shows how EVERYONE has the right to their own things. Such as to their own body parts/organs. I know that some of the body fragments come from corpses to be given to other people…  but that corpse was once a living person. They (the corpses)  have the right to their own things (the right to their own body) it wouldn't be nice if someday you were to die and wanted to die peacefully and in one piece. But instead being sold to some strangers and being cut up and destroyed. That is just not nice. They should let that person die in peace and with the right to their own things.

The way we can solve this conflict/danger is by having organization's where living donors can give their organs to someone successfully and without having neither the donor or patience being hurt. Or by having police men track down black markets and close them. Or by providing easier methods to help people to get an organ. Making black markets run out of business and close. According to Stop Organ Trafficking Now! “(1) making it easier for American living organ donors to donate organs under safe and financially secure conditions, and (2) stopping illegal organ trafficking by making it easier for Americans to help their fellow Americans.” This website shows how people can help stop this conflict from expanding (stop black markets from selling organs illegally or stop black markets selling diseased Organs.) Visit the website STOP ORGAN TRAFFICKING NOW! Working to Protect the Rights of Living Organ Donors for more information about how you can help stop people from getting diseased or hurt due to an organ transplant that was not checked/ or cared for. Or how to stop the black market.