ORGAN TRAFFICKING 1

Organ Trafficking: A Result of the Shortage of Organ Donors

Tierra C. Davies

Arizona State University

ORGAN TRAFFICKING 2

Organ Trafficking: A Result of the Shortage of Organ Donors

The level of concern of falling victim to organ trafficking is usually set pretty low for

most people in this country. That is, until it could happen to them or their loved ones. Organ

trafficking in the United States should be described as a silent crisis, something that is very real

and very alarming, but also does not receive as much attention as it should. This problem stems

from the low supply of organs for donation and the high demand from people who need to

undergo necessary organ transplants. It should be noted that “By 2007, the World Health

Organization (WHO) estimated that out of all transplants worldwide, 5–10% is conducted

illegally” (Ambagtsheer, 2013). The demand for organs has only risen, especially since the

market is extremely profitable. While this is a very serious problem, there seem to be little effort

by individuals of government-level positions to put an end to it. Is there not enough public

outcry, and could this mean that people do not care about this problem? Regardless of whether or

not this issue receives what could be considered enough attention from the world, the

governments of many nations should take the initiative and work together to formulate an

effective solution.

In the United States, there has been some effort to prevent organ trafficking. For instance,

a bill was proposed and passed in the House of Representatives. The Strategy to Oppose

Predatory Organ Trafficking Act was proposed with the intent of the United States combatting

organ trafficking. It was introduced on October 6, 2015 and the latest activity from the bill was

on June 14th, 2016. (H.R. 3694, 2015). This was one of the only bills that has specifically been

proposed for anti-organ trafficking efforts. There is far more attention on the other areas of

human trafficking, which includes sex trafficking and forced labor. The lack of effort on the

government’s end could indicate that the severity of organ trafficking is being ignored.
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The market for organ harvesting is booming and it has been for quite some time. Buyers

are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars just for someone’s kidney, which is the most

sought out organ (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2019). Some people are even

willing to sell their organs to alleviate some of their financial hardships. For example, 40-year-

old Michael Nelson of the Chicago-area took to the internet and offered to sell one of his organs

in exchange for monetary gain. According NBC Chicago, “The 40-year-old said he received

numerous hits on his Craigslist ad -- one kidney in exchange for $30,000 -- which ran for about a

month. Before he knew he was corresponding with NBC Chicago, Nelson said he was struggling

financially and that selling his kidney would alleviate his problems” (Leitner & Capitanini,

2014). That story alone shows the high demand and how people are willing to spend thousands

of dollars on someone else’s organs. The market pools in approximately $840 million to $1.7

billion dollars” (May, 2017). This is proof that organ trafficking is very profitable and that little

is being done to slow down its progress or stop it completely.

The effort that has been brought forth to end organ trading could be much more forceful.

With that being said, new ideas should be tested. If those new ideas work, then perhaps they

could take the place of or work alongside the existing anti-organ trafficking efforts. Something

else that could be done is to promote organ donation, this notion was brought up “In a joint study

between the Council of Europe and the United Nations [35] "the need to promote organ donation

and establish organizational measures to increase organ availability" is outlined as a key

recommendation to prevent the organ trade/organ trafficking” (Columb, 26). Increasing the

number of individuals willing to donate would help make more progress and lessen the demand

and need for the organ market. It is no secret that there is a shortage of organ donors. Many

people in America find themselves or a family member on the national transplant waiting list.
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For some, waiting may take a couple of months, but for many people it may take years

upon years to find a viable donor. As of January 2019, there are over 113,000 people in America

on the national transplant waiting list (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2019).

That number will continue to increase, as someone is added to the waiting list. Of the people on

the waiting list that find a match and are able to receive an organ, an estimated 20 people die

waiting for a donor every day (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2019). Those

statistics prove that there is a dire need for more organ donors.

Around 95% of American adults support organ donation, but only 58% are registered to

be donors (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 2019). This has very much to do with

the donor process. A few states are looking to change this by implementing an opt-out system. It

has already been around for quite some time, and “It’s called opt-out organ donation or

“presumed consent” and it means that basically every resident is an organ donor unless they

remove themselves from that list” (Samuel, 2017). This would be far more impactful because it

would mean the difference between people trying to remove themselves from the list versus

adding themselves. Also, most of the country’s adults already support organ donation, and it is

likely that most people would not mind at all. Different versions of opt-out organ donation

already exist in 25 European countries including Spain, Belgium, and France (Samuel, 2017). A

2012 study has proved that opt-out policies have been very effective. According to Stanford,

“The difference in organ donation rates—typically exceeding 90% in opt-out countries and

failing to reach even 15% in opt-in countries” (Davidai, Gilovich, & Ross, 2012). The difference

between those two percentages verify that opt-out organ donation would significantly increase

the number of potential donors.

ORGAN TRAFFICKING 5

Another possible idea would be for nations to come together and collectively think of a

way to solve it, “Development of an international enforcement regime that deals with more

ubiquitous harms in a manner that enhances efficacy and salience might help to address this

legitimacy problem. Salience and efficacy, in short, can help to bolster needed legitimacy”

(Francis, 2010). There is a possibility that collaboration amongst countries all over the world will

help in creating a realistic as well as impactful solution to stop organ trade.

Some may not believe that organ trafficking requires more effort to put an end to. Perhaps the

individuals on the opposing side believe that all of the efforts made by the Government are

sufficient. It could also be that they don’t think that it carries as much significance in comparison

to sex trafficking and other forms of human trafficking. Sure, the public doesn’t hear about organ

trafficking nearly as much as you do sex trafficking, but that does not mean that it is of any lesser

importance.

It is important to know that the purchasing and the selling of one’s organs through the

black market is illegal. If an individual wish to donate their organs, then it should be done in a

legal way. What many people don’t realize is that some of the organs on the market aren’t given

away voluntarily. With that being said, people tend to not show any concern about issues until it

happens to them or a family member. What if it was a young child though? According to a 2013

article published by the Telegraph discussing the rescue of a young Somali girl who was sold for

her organs, “Child protection charities warned that the case was unlikely to be an isolated

incident as traffickers were likely to have smuggled a group of children into the country”

(Swinford, 2013). This means that hundreds upon thousands of innocent children are falling

victim to organ harvesting. The fact that this article was published in 2013 and there are still

stories about people becoming victims of the organ trafficking market is certainly frightening.
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Thousands of lives are affected by organ trade, and the world should definitely be paying

more attention. The lack of authority allows those individuals to fall victim to organ trade.

Especially since there isn’t any protection for the most vulnerable of people; children. The story

involving the Somali girl who was purchased in exchange for her organs is just one of many.

There are young children like her who are not able to have their stories told to a large audience.

Just think about all of the children around the world who have found themselves in situations

similar to that; the ones who were not able to be rescued. Overtime, it is possible to stop this

problem once and for all. However, it would require a team effort, and collaboration between the

nations could help out significantly. With the world’s population continuously growing the

demand for organs will increase, it is inevitable. The illegal market of organ trade could be shut

down and organ donation could be promoted instead. This is a very severe issue and it needs to

be changed to prevent more people from becoming victims.

People tend to show more concern about things that immediately effect their daily lives.

There is not much about organ trafficking in the news so people aren’t that much concerned.

The lack of empathy causes organ trade to continue because there aren’t that many people who

speak out on the issue. Not enough people have their attention on the matter, but if enough public

outcry existed, then there would be a bigger push towards justice. Government officials could

feel pressured into creating laws that impose harsher consequences upon those who are involved

with the sales of organs on the black market. It is important that society educates themselves on

what is going around in the world around them. The market for organs is large, but unification

would play an immense role in bringing it down. Not only collaboration from countries around

the world, but also implementing opt-out organ donation policies across the globe.
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References

Ambagtsheer, Frederike. (2013). The battle for human organs: Organ trafficking and transplant

tourism in a global context. Global Crime,14(1), 1-27.

Columb, Seán. (2015). Beneath the organ trade: A critical analysis of the organ trafficking

discourse. Crime, Law & Social Change, 63(1/2), 21-48.

Davidai, S., Gilovich, T., & Ross, L. (2012). The meaning of default options for potential organ

donors. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 15201-15205.

Francis, Leslie P. (2010). Stateless Crimes, Legitimacy, and International Criminal Law: The

Case of Organ Trafficking. Criminal Law & Philosophy,4(3), 283-296.

Leitner, T., & Capitanini, L. (2014, May 21). Meet a Man Willing to Sell a Kidney, Another

Who Needs One. Retrieved from https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/Market-

For-Black-Market-Organs-Expands-259889741.html

May, C. (2017). Transnational Crime and the Developing World (Rep.). Global Financial

Integrity.

Samuel, L. (2017, July 6). To solve organ shortage, states consider 'opt-out' organ donation laws.

Retrieved from https://www.statnews.com/2017/07/06/opt-solution-organ-shortage/

Strategy to Oppose Predatory Organ Trafficking Act, H.R. 3694, 114th Cong. (2015).

Swinford, S. (2013, October 18). Girl smuggled into Britain to have her 'organs harvested'.

Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10390183/Girl-

smuggled-into-Britain-to-have-her-organs-harvested.html

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). Organ Donation Statistics. Retrieved from

https://www.organdonor.gov/statistics-stories/statistics.html