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Monday, July 11th, 2011

The Great Organ Bazaar

Author:     SUSANNE LUNDIN
Source:     Aljazeera (Qatar)
Publication Date:     7/9/2011 9:07
 Link: The Great Organ Bazaar
Stephan:   As you read this please remember the recent article in SR on the growth of a human trachea using the patient's own stem cells. This is one of the reasons this research, notably all done outside of the U.S., is so important and such good news. In addition to making organs available, and eliminating the rejection problem that current transplant technology cannot resolve, it will end, or at least strongly diminish, the human organ gray market which preys on the poor. Susanne Lundin is Professor of Ethnology at Lund University, Sweden. Thanks to Kevin Kelley.

A few days ago, a friend of mine, a medical scientist and physician in a Swedish hospital, received an astounding offer in her email box.

In poorly written English, the missive read: ‘My name is Alex. I am [a] 31 years [old] European man. I never drank alcohol and did not smoke cigarettes. My blood is O and I have a good health. If you need [a] liver transplant I am ready to give part of my liver, but I want to receive a big compensation for that.’

Such offers are hardly uncommon. Similar pleas to sell body parts appear in different forums and websites, such as Mahmnud75.

This advertisement is typical: ‘I am an Indian. My native place [is] Brahmpur, district­-Ganjam, Odisha. My age is 37 (17-08-1974). My blood group [is] O . I am fully vegetarian. I am interested to sell to an American my left kidney for 80,000 US dollar. I am interested to sell to a Chinese – [my] right kidney for 80,000 US dollar. I am interested to sell to a Russian [my] heart for 100,000 US dollar. I am interested to sell to a Japanese [my] brain for 100,000 US dollar.’

Offers of this type could, just a […]

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