The Role of Culture in Kidney Exchanges

Although the United States is firmly against the selling of organs for money, other cultures have different views on the issue. While some may claims these other countries are subject to the ethical exploitation concerns mentioned in class, the truth is the various different approahces to the method have benefited United States Kidney needers as well as other aspects of the global market. http://organharvestinvestigation.net/media/worldnetdaily_1118-6.htm <-- This article focuses on the practices of China. China apparantly admitted to having a greater preference for American organ "tourists". This hints to the idea of organ tourism, an area that some countries can use to attract weatlhy sick Americans who are running out of other options. It also mentions the extensive use of organs from people residing in the Chinese prisons. THis is an interesting approach of getting live donations when public volunteerism is relatively low. Other countries have openly allowed the selling and buying of organs. http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2007/05/india_transplants_prices <-- This article talks about countries that use this kind of market including India, the Phillipines, and others. One other interesting thing to note here is that in countries where it is legal, multiple people sell their kidneys and other organs, so the price of compensation is relatively low ($3000) although they still sell the kidneys at ridiculously higher prices. All in all, with the role of globalization and increased networking between countries and people of different cultural backgrounds, Americans who can not "buy" an organ in the United States have other options from countries that feel differently about the best way to procure organs.

Interesting articles.

After looking up more current information on this topic, I found this article http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/kidney-market-shut-as-pakistan-cuts-supply/2008/05/11/1210444244440.html that talks about how because Pakistan's recent ban on the trade of human organs, supply of kidneys has drastically dropped.

Both health clinics and families in Pakistan have been hit hard with this new change in regulation, making it harder to trade organs. Personally, I could see this ban spreading to the other countries that currently offer this trade.

Personally, I think the fact that Pakistan outlawed kidney exchanges like this will not stop many people. Since kidneys to some people mean the difference between life and death, they are definitely people willing to pay more money than Pakistanis and other people around the world are willing to forgo in the name of the law.

Even if countries outlaw kidney exchanges, many times in impoverished countries people are forced to give kidneys at gunpoint or drugged in order to keep them silent. In these cases, the doctors profit from the sold kidneys but the "donors" do not receive anything. Personally, I think this is worse than people actually getting some money and selling kidneys willingly for a little money. This article identifies one of these "kidney rings:" http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/world/asia/30kidney.html

In all honesty, things like this will never stop happening because of the corruption in such countries as India where money can buy your way out of trouble coupled with the high price and high demand of the people in the US and other foreign countries who need kidneys to survive.