Damn human rights, Damn medical ethics, despite denying use of human organs in transplants for years, China has finally admitted full-fledged involvement in organ trade, yes, we’d call it trade, of executed prisoners. Shockingly, China has been receiving hefty sums from foreigners desperately in need.

Till Date

This is not the first time China is walking on the thin edged-sword with head high, it has been practicing the dreadful act since long, and was under scrutiny, however, the most populous nation kept on denying its involvement and never came out boldly to discuss the issue in open air. There are no records whatsoever available with respect to the number of people executed every year and the blood-spattered organ trade in China.

Now

We can’t say that China has disclosed the facts under pressure from human rights groups actively keeping a critical eye on the practice or just to boast that the mayhem is just another spitted corner to be ignored in the all day’s work. Nevertheless, whatever it is, health officials have recently acknowledged the practice, though detailed information about the depth of the practice is still not leaked.

China sees it as legal, but the fact that it’s ‘profit-driven’ dilutes all claims made towards keeping medical ethics intact.

Health officials claim that organs are removed for transplantation with prior consent of the prisoners or their families, but we don’t believe this - you chop-off a person’s right to live and wait for his consent to make quick bucks - NEVER.

Mao Qun’an, a Health Ministry spokesman, said:
Some overseas media cook up stories that China randomly transplant organs from executed criminals, which is a malicious slander against the Chinese judiciary system and deceives the people on purpose.

However, Mao’s statement that ‘poor government supervision in the trade had led to a number of ‘improper’ organ transplants’ tells the other side of the story too. He accepted that foreigners who can pay huge sums for organs are somehow able to get what they want. And that’s only possible because it’s on the menu, right.

Some facts

1. China tops in the number of court-ordered executions, with number ranging to thousands.
2. According to Amnesty International: China executed at least 1,770 people in 2005
3. China’s ‘one couple one child’ policy that leads to killing of don’t know how many babies, too has been under the hammer.
4. China carries around 10,000 organ transplant operations per year and 1.5 million people are in the queue. This too exposes the vulnerability and is enough to drag ‘professional organ traders’ into the business.
5. As per LA Times, the US executed 60 prisoners in 2005.

Is it ethical?

Getting inside the global organ trade scenario, the vicious international organ trafficking ring is too complex to break in, but not strong enough to keep aloof and thrive for long. Still we’re not paying enough attention to curb the burgeoning trade which is literally luring lots of people worldwide owing to the underlying fortune it pays (an estimated $6,000 for a kidney, if you can believe).

Ailing rich are giving this trade a boost, mostly in black markets, as they are ready to give any amount of money to buy a few moments of life by snatching a whole lot from poor and needy.

So, what’s the solution, should we make it legal, as did Iran, killing the middleman and restrict the trade? However, we’ll have to implement strict regulations to make it work.

Don’t miss this Case Study to get in-depth information about the ‘Illegal Human Organ Trade from Executed Prisoners in China’.

Via: Chicago Tribune