Argumentative Essay: The Black Market And Organ Trafficking

The phrases “black market” and “organ trafficking” conjure images of shady deals made in the dark alleys of faraway countries; grisly untrained surgeons and kidnapped people. The truth of the matter is, however, that the black market organ trade is much more complex and professional that one might think. The illegal organ trade is a vast, organized network of (mostly) willing donors, middlemen, and the thousands of recipients, some of whom reside right here in America. With the current worldwide shortage of organs, the black market can only expand with an ever increasing effect on medicine, society, and the families involved. The most common misconception of the illegal organ trade is that most of the “donors” are forcibly removed from their tissues. This is not necessarily true. Donors around the world normally fall into three categories: those who have organs taken (at gunpoint, being drugged, beaten unconscious, etc.), those who give
Middlemen organize everything from the flights to bring seller and recipient together, doctors to perform the procedure, and they assist all parties legally. While those who obtain organs legally can be on waiting lists for up to ten years, middlemen can have a recipient matched with a donor and on a flight within a matter of days. More importantly is the ability to make a donated organ look legitimate on paper and keep authorities off the trail. Due to efforts in combatting the black market trade, most countries have adopted a policy stating that organs may only be donated by a family member. Legitimizing the organ is normally done by forging documents to make the recipient appear to be (legally) a cousin, estranged uncle, or other distant family member. After the organs are “donated” then everyone can paid, the middlemen receiving the largest portion of the share, along with the