Organ Black Market

Organ Black Market Response Paper 2 In the world of modern medicine, there is no question that organ transplants are capable of saving countless lives. However, a problem exists because there are not enough organs available to meet the existing need. The buying and selling of human organs is illegal around the world, and this has resulted in the creation of a black market in order to meet the demand. Basically, this black market consists of rich patients from developed countries using â€Å"brokers† to arrange for the purchase of organs from poor people in underdeveloped countries. Although a great deal of the black market activity has centered on the buying and selling of kidneys, there has also been extensive trading in other organs as well as in human tissues. This paper will argue that the best solution to the problem is to create a system for the legalized, regulated marketing of human organs. Such a system would help somewhat in alleviating the current organ shortage, while at the same time reducing the op portunities for corruption and exploitation that are found in black market practices. At the present time, the demand for kidneys and other organs far exceeds the available supply. In Western Europe, for example, approximately 40,000 patients are on waiting lists for kidney transplants; however, it is expected that only about 1 in 4 of these patients will be able to receive the organs that they need (Erin and Harris 137). Because of the current situation, it is evident that many patients will die before receiving a transplant. In 2001, it was claimed that â€Å"an average of 15 patients die every day in the US whilst awaiting an appropriate organ† (Weekes n. p.). Medical experts have also pointed out that organs from living donors are much better than those provided by cadavers (i.e., recently deceased persons). Because the blood flow is disrupted as a result of death, â€Å"cadaver organs are always, to some extent, damaged† (Munson 115). In spite of the urgent need, most of the worlds nations have laws that prohibit the buying and selling of human organs. In the United States, for example, the 1984 National Organ Transplantation Act prohibits the sale of human organs by both live donors and by the families of the recently deceased (Weekes n. p.). Many developing nations have likewise banned the commercial trading of human organs. However, this practice â€Å"has come at the risk of driving the trade underground† (Nullis-Kapp 715). Although the buying and selling of organs is illegal in most places, the demand for such organs has continued. In addition, many impoverished persons have shown that they are willing to sell a kidney or other non-vital organ for the sake of increasing their income. As a result of this situation, a global black market in human organs has developed. The problem of â€Å"transplant tourism† has emerged, in which wealthy patients travel to other countries that are lax in enforcing their laws in order to receive transplants using organs from desperately poor people (Scheper-Hughes 1645). For example, members of an international syndicate were arrested in South Africa in 2004 (McLaughlin, et al. 1). This syndicate had been bringing poor Brazilians to South Africa in order to buy their kidneys and then sell them to well-to-do Israeli patients. Many other illegal organ-trading rings are known to exist. Organ Watch, a project founded by Nancy Scheper-Hughes and Lawrence Cohen in 1999, monitors the illegal organ trade in order to uncover the human rights violations that result from it. This is accomplished by tracing the â€Å"routes† through which the sellers and buyers of human organs make their transactions. As reported by Scheper-Hughes, â€Å"in general, the circulation of kidneys follows established routes of capital from South to North, from East to West, from poorer to more affluent bodies, from black and brown bodies to white ones, and from female to male or from poor, low status men to more affluent men† (1645). In other words, the black market for human organs is contributing to the exploitation of the poor. Clare Nullis-Kapp, writing in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, has claimed that the illegal trade is based on the coercion of vulnerable Third World donors who are â€Å"frequently impoverished and ill-educated† (715). Organ Watch and other organizations have reported that more than 80 percent of the poor people who have donated organs in the international black market have experienced serious health problems as a result (McLaughlin, et al. 1). Furthermore, there is clear evidence that poor donors are greatly underpaid in comparison to the market value for their organs. There have also been allegations of unscrupulous doctors or authority figures abusing the system for their own profit. As an example, in 2001, â€Å"two Chinese government officials were charged with the sale of organs of executed prisoners† (Weekes n. p.). A proposed solution to this problem is to create a legal and tightly regulated system for the buying and selling of human organs. The advocates of this approach note that it would be a step toward meeting the demand that currently exists for organs from living donors. According to Ronald Munson, an expert in medical ethics, â€Å"the kidney shortage could be ameliorated, if not solved, by allowing people needing a transplant to pay a healthy and willing donor to supply a kidney† (116). In the Journal of Medical Ethics, Charles A. Erin and John Harris note that a legal market would help to increase the supply of other needed organs (and tissues) as well. According to these authors, â€Å"to meet legitimate ethical and regulatory concerns, any commercial scheme must have built into it safeguards against wrongful exploitation and show concern for the vulnerable, as well as taking into account considerations of justice and equity† (137). Erin and Harris further argue that t he system should consist of a single purchaser (presumably a government-based agency) and that there should be clearly defined penalties in order to help prevent abuse. There are various arguments in favor of having a legal, regulated system for the human organ trade. First of all, increasing the supply of available organs would help to save numerous lives. In addition, â€Å"legalisation of the sale of organs will eliminate the corruption that has led to reported executions and ‘thefts of organs† (Weekes n. p.). If the sale of organs were legal, there would be no need for a criminal market to exist in that area. In turn, a legalized system would result in the donors being more fairly compensated for their organs. In the black market, doctors and brokers make hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits as a result of their efforts (McLaughlin, et al. 1). By contrast, the impoverished donors are offered only a tiny amount of money for their organs; sometimes this is as little as a few hundred dollars. In the current legal system, which depends on the voluntary donation of organs, the donors are not given any kind of financial compensatio n at all. However, the doctors, nurses, and transplant coordinators are all paid for the roles they play in the process. This raises the question: â€Å"Why should the donor of the organs, arguably the most important actor in any transplant, not also receive remuneration?† (Weekes n. p.). One of the arguments against having a legal market for human organs is that it will do nothing to prevent poor people from being exploited by the processes of â€Å"financial coercion† (Munson 116). Scheper-Hughes, for example, has claimed that the poor, because of their desperation, are not in a position to make free and rational choices in such matters and that the legalization of organ selling merely creates â€Å"the semblance of ethical choice in an intrinsically unethical context† (1645). In fact, some opponents have argued that legalization would result in increased â€Å"discrimination between rich and poor† because â€Å"the opportunity for those unable to afford to purchase to receive a donated organ will be eliminated† (Weekes n. p.). In fact, however, poor patients as well as rich patients would benefit from a legalized system of organ purchase because â€Å"for each successful kidney transplant operation, valuable hours on a dialysis machine will be left vacant† (Weekes n. p.). Furthermore, it has been noted that it is â€Å"patronizing† to assume that individual donors (or the families of recently deceased persons) are incapable of making a reasoned decision about whether or not to sell their organs (Weekes n. p.). Some opponents of legalized organ selling have claimed that such a system would take away the â€Å"psychological benefits that reward a voluntary donor† (Munson 112). According to this viewpoint, being a living donor should be based solely on having a sense of altruism, and not on having a desire for financial compensation. In actuality, however, â€Å"sellers of organs would know they had saved a life and would be reasonably compensated for their risk, time, and altruism, which would be undiminished by sale† (Erin and Harris 137). After all, as Erin and Harris point out, â€Å"we do not regard medicine as any the less a caring position because doctors are paid† (137). Some have argued against the legalization of organ selling on the basis of the health risks that are involved. However, it is the illegality that increases such risks and, in a well-equipped hospital setting, â€Å"both a kidney and a piece of liver can be removed without a significant detrimentà ¢â‚¬  (Weekes n. p.). Yet another argument against a legalized organ trade can be seen in the claim of Scheper-Hughes that the legalization perspective is based on purely economic and rational claims as opposed to claims of â€Å"social justice.† According to Scheper-Hughes, the idea of an organ market creates â€Å"a medical, social, and moral tragedy of immense and not yet fully recognised proportions† (1645). Still others have expressed a sense of â€Å"revulsion† at the idea of buying and selling human organs (McLaughlin, et al. 1). Such moralistic arguments make use of emotional language (â€Å"tragedy,† â€Å"revulsion,† etc.). However, when the situation is viewed objectively, it can be seen that having a legalized, regulated system would be safer as well as making economic sense. As for the ethical issue, the black market shows that people are going to buy and sell organs anyway, despite the illegality of the practice. Obviously, it would be much better for the p ractice to be regulated, the donors fairly compensated, and the corrupt nature of the black market removed. As argued in this paper, a serious problem is found in the fact that the demand for human organs is much higher than the existing supply. This has given rise to a black market in which poor people are lured into giving up their bodily organs at a price that is far less than the organs actual â€Å"market value.† The best solution to this problem is to develop a legalized system for buying and selling organs, with various protections built into it. Although this would probably not result in the demand for organs being fully met, it would certainly be a step in the right direction. In addition, a legalized system would undermine the black market and help to prevent the types of abuses that can occur in an illegal trade situation. There is no good reason to not fairly compensate organ donors, especially in view of the fact that large sums of money are involved in the organ transplantation business. Some people have argued that poor people would be unjustly â€Å"coerced† b y the financial incentives of selling off their organs. However, this is a decision that they alone should make; furthermore, the loss of a single kidney or other non-vital organ is not particularly risky if it is done by a competent surgeon in a legal setting. Works Cited Erin, Charles A., and John Harris. â€Å"An Ethical Market in Human Organs.† Journal of Medical Ethics 29(3), June 2003, 137-138. McLaughlin, Abraham, Ilene R. Prusher, and Andrew Downie. â€Å"What is a Kidney Worth?† Christian Science Monitor, June 9, 2004, 1+. Munson, Ronald. Raising the Dead: Organ Transplants, Ethics, and Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Nullis-Kapp, Clare. â€Å"Organ Trafficking and Transplantation Pose New Challenges.† Bulletin of the World Health Organization 83(9), September 2004, 715. Scheper-Hughes, Nancy. â€Å"Keeping an Eye on the Global Traffic in Human Organs.† The Lancet 361, May 10, 2003, 1645-1648. Weekes, Rob. â€Å"Should We Legalise the Sale of Human Organs?† Debatabase International Debate Education Association, October 4, 2001. Available:

Imformative speech Essay

Introduction Hasn’t everyone at some point in their life been peered pressured. Teenagers all across America face it every day. It ranges from cheating on a test to robbing a convenient store. Peer pressure is a serious life situation that everyone encounters at a certain point in their life. And let’s face it, just say no is not always that easy. Attention Gainer YouTube video, peer pressure. Reason to Listen/Credibility Peer pressure exists for all ages. Three-year-old Robert insists that his mother take him to the store right away and buy him the latest fad toy because his friends have it. When she doesn’t, he has a temper tantrum. Nine-year-old Sarah wears a new shirt to school once, then refuses to wear it again because her friends made fun if it. Jeff, at sixteen, works out three hours a day to have a â€Å"perfect† body. When one of his friends at the gym offers him some anabolic steroids, he accepts, sacrificing his health for his image. Meanwhile, Jeff’s forty-year-old father just took out a loan he couldn’t afford to buy a new BMW because most of his neighbors drive luxury cars, and he didn’t want them to think he couldn’t afford one too. No one is immune from peer pressure. Source: www.faqs.org 3 Preview Statement The word â€Å"peer† according to dictionary.cambridge.org is one belonging to the same social group especially based on age, grade or status. The word â€Å"pressure† is described as the burden of physical mental distress. Peer pressure is basically encouraging people similar to you to make certain choices, take certain actions or perform in some specific way. I will talk about three different kinds of peer pressure substance abuse, emotional, and positive forms of peer pressure. II. Body First Main Point The number one form of peer pressure is substance abuse. Tobacco, alcohol and  illegal drugs are all substances that teenagers are pressured into using and abusing. Most teenagers who try alcohol do so around the age of 13, 8 years before the legal drinking age. The American Lung Association reports 3.1 million teenagers smoke. Approximately 30% of teenagers are offered, given or sold drugs in highs school or in middle school. These are some very disturbing statistics. When you give in to pressure you’re letting down those around you who thought they knew you better. When your own sense of self and the admiration of those around you are very important things to consider, you also need to think about more serious consequences of peer pressure. Alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs are all addicting. They are dangerous to your health in many ways and are often hard to quit once you have become dependent upon them. These substances can lead to negative consequences such as cancer, drug overdose and even death. Source: www.Buzzle.com 4 Second Main Point Second, one of the most emotional peer pressures we face is related to image ; the way we dress our height, our weight, how we act, and who we hang out with. These are all things that define us that we can ultimately be pressured into changing. Bullying and teasing go hand in hand with how we feel about ourselves. Self-esteem gives a huge blow when peer pressure causes us to change who we are. It is all about fitting in. that’s the number one thing why we yield to peer pressure. Teenagers are naturally afraid of rejection. They want to feel like they belong and that they are cool. While it’s perfectly normal to want to fit in, it doesn’t mean you have to change who you are or sacrifice your beliefs and your values. When you give in to peer pressure you lose yourself. You are giving up your free will and your voice and falling through the cracks just to be like somebody else Third Main Point A final peer pressure were going to discuss is positive forms of peer pressure. We know that peer pressure means encouraging people similar to us to do certain things, but it doesn’t always have to be bad. Some good forms of peer pressure include encouraging your friends to participate in sports  or other activities, or even volunteering together. Convincing someone to tell the truth, helping someone with homework or encouraging kids at school to come to church are all very positive forms of peer pressure. Peer pressure is not always bad. It can help you analyze yourself and contemplate on your ways of life. Some of the practices that the masses follow may 5 actually teach you the way of living. You may be able to change yourself for the better. Looking at what others do, can help you bring about a positive change in your way of thinking. If you can pick selectively, peer pressure can actually result in a positive change in your way of life. III. Conclusion Recap/Summary These three kinds of peer pressure happen to everyone at some point, substance abuse, emotional, and positive forms of peer pressure. Whether everyone or no one caves in we all have been peer pressured or will be in all these ways. This summarizes this informative speech. C. Audience Imprint 6 Bibliography www.faqs.org www.Buzzle.com www.Thecoolspot.gov www.aacap.org/peerpressure ianrpubs.unl.edu

Justifying Slavery - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 566 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/05/14 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Slavery Essay Did you like this example? Slavery was not a new concept when the first slaves arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. In fact, slavery was common practice throughout the history of the world, although in the past it more closely resembled indentured servitude. The Souths voracity and dependence on labor would transform slavery into an unprecedented institution. Abolitionists in the North argued against it, calling slavery morally reprehensible. However, pro-slavery arguments were so effective that it was not abolished until 1865, by the Thirteenth Amendment. The justification of slavery had a wide range of basis from philosophical, religious, economic, and even legal standpoints. Some of the oldest arguments in favor of slavery came from early Greek philosophers, Aristotle and Plato. Aristotle believed that there were only two kinds of people in the world; people who were born to be slaves and people who were not slaves. Since natural born slaves lacked the ability to live on their own the guidance from their masters was essential for survival, this was simply the natural order of the world. Plato agreed, stating that the inferior needed to be ruled by the better. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Justifying Slavery" essay for you Create order This was how slavers in the South viewed their slaves. Multiple language barriers and vastly different customs contributed to the Southerners view of slaves as simple and incompetent. If it werent for the slavers looking after them, the slaves would not have been able to survive in the foreign land. In this way slavery actually benefitted the slaves, because they were being housed and fed by their masters/owners. Religion was an integral force in the lives of both Northerners and Southerners alike. To live a God-fearing, pious life was consistent with having good moral standing. By this logic, slavery was not morally reprehensible because it was present and acceptable in the Bible. Texts from the Old Testament were used to draw comparisons with the Israelites and their practice of slavery, as well as slave owners considering themselves to be worthy and virtuous. In comparison, their African slaves were thought of as the descendants of Ham, who was cursed by God to live a life of servitude. One of the strongest arguments for slavery was that it was beneficial to the economy. Despite the opposition it faced, slavery was a vital institution for both the South and the North. Southerners needed slave labor in order to sustain their plantation economies and genteel lifestyle, and the North relied on the raw goods produced by the slaves to power their industrialized society. At this time nearly everything being exported from the United States was based on slave-produced goods. The hypocrisy that tinged the Norths opposition only further cemented the fact that slavery was the backbone of the United States economy. The fact that slaves were viewed as property and not people was the Souths strongest defense against their actions. Their actions could not be morally wrong because they were providing their slaves with the minimum requirements to live. For slave masters providing slaves with unnecessary luxuries would come at a personal cost that they could not justify spending on property. To feel such sympathy for them would be akin to feeling sorry for their horse because it had to live in a stable. Additionally, slavery was not illegal in the Constitution. Clauses such as the 3/5th Compromise actually protected slavery. Since slavery was decided by the States, the southern states could legally continue using slave labor.

Colony Collapse Disorder and Pesticides Essay - 1584 Words

Colony Collapse Disorder and Pesticides From around the year 2006, many bee farmers in the U.S.A and some parts of Europe started reporting sharp declines in their bee stocks. The reason for this declining numbers was not known and therefore scientists named it colony collapse disorder (CCD). Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a not a very old phenomena and it became popular when large number of bee colonies started disappearing. The disappearing was mysterious since no dead bees were found in or around the beehives after a colony’s number was reported to have gone down or vanished. This prompted a lot of study and investigations to uncover the mystery and to establish possible remedies. Among the many reasons for the causes of the CCD†¦show more content†¦However this paper will majorly deal with pesticides as the cause of CCD. There are different types of pesticides, which include the contact, the dust and wettables and the systemic ones. In the study of CCD, several pesticides are being investigated with emphasis being laid on antibiotics, miticides and neonicotinoid pesticides. Just like other insects are vulnerable to pesticides, bees are no exception. Since bees are also insects by nature, the alleged role of pesticides in CCD is justified. Neonicotinoids are pesticides that contain nicotine and the most widely used are imidacloprid and clothianidin, whose effects on other insects are similar to those exhibited in CCD. The effects of miticides are disastrous as they involve the reduction of not only the sperm count among the drones, but also the viability of those sperms (Timbrell, 2002). The effects of these pesticides are not killing the bees instantaneously but impairing their behavior and development. However, some pesticides are very lethal since the honey bees do not even go back to their hives and most of them die after ingesting small amounts of these chemicals from plants that have been sprayed with them. These pesticides clearly have a huge role to play in CCD, given that bee farmers in organic gardens have not reported this phenomenon. According to Timbrell (2002), the pesticides reduce the immunity of bees and are therefore susceptible to literally all kinds of pathogens. A dissection of the deadShow MoreRelatedColony Collapse Disorder: History and Causes1516 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD): History and causes Abstract This paper reviews the phenomenon of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), or the disappearance of large swathes of the bee population in the US and elsewhere. It reviews the potential causes of CCD, including pathogens, pesticides, and other environmental factors that could contribute to bee deaths. Although many have linked the widespread use of pesticides to the phenomenon, there is no smoking gun that is clearly implicated in causingRead MoreBees And Its Effect On Our Lives1122 Words   |  5 Pagesan individual that has been stung by a bee? Kill it. However, this go to reaction of many people is just one of the few ways adding to the obliteration of bees. Bees have been around for millions of years, and now within the past fifty years, bee colonies are dropping to staggering low numbers. This is a problem. All around the world, people need to realize that these bees are greatly under-appreciated workers and action needs to be taken to protect them. Our world is going to suffer both ecologicallyRead MoreSummary : Bee Disappearance 1708 Words   |  7 PagesMrs. Kopcak English 12 8 May 2016 Senior Paper: Bee Disappearance Seven years ago honeybee colonies were reported to be dying en masse. They were dying from multiple causes, and these bee disappearances reflect an infertile landscape and a dysfunctional food system. The problem is that in the last 50 years bees have been dying and we’re planting more crops that require bees pollination. Colony Collapse Disorder, Varroa mites, and our farming practices attribute to these disappearances of our most importantRead MoreHoney Bee Extinction Essay1735 Words   |  7 Pagesof blueberries. One could try going to one’s local farmers market, but with the disappearance of honey bees, private farmers and vendors would also take a devastating hit. The culprit of this devastating scenario is known as colony collapse disorder. Colony collapse disorder, also known as CCD, is when healthy worker bees disappear from the hive leaving behind honey and immature bees to care for the queen (Weise 1). Judging for the information at hand, I believe CCD is aff ecting a majority of theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article Honeybees And Flowers 899 Words   |  4 Pagesvegetables will diminish. Bees pollinate $15 billion worth of harvests in US and a bee decline will cost the economy dearly. The chain reaction will result in harvests yielding less than satisfactory production levels and farming businesses will collapse. On top of that, beekeepers and honey producers will also lose jobs. Cattle, unfortunately cannot adjust diets as well as humans can and will face malnutrition and perhaps starvation. Consequently, dairy products will also cease along with meat.Read MoreThe Natural Resources Defence Council Essay1269 Words   |  6 Pagesmultitude of harmful industries and other aspects. Bees are important for United States consumerism, agriculture, and the environment, yet humans continually abuse them, negatively impacting many important aspects of society and contributing to Colony Collapse Disorder. A multitude of people are poorly educated on honeybees, and put them into the same abrasive category as wasps and yellow jackets. Honeybees are a vital part of almost all enivorments and should be protected at all costs. TheseRead MoreThe Plight of Bees Essay1679 Words   |  7 PagesMuch of the food we eat is dependent on honey bees for pollination. Our ecosystem depends on the survival of the honey bee. Colonies of honeybees have been disappearing at an alarming rate around the world due to parasites, viral and bacterial diseases, and the introduction of pesticides and herbicides. Over the past six years, on average, 30 percent of all the honey bee colonies in the U.S. died off over the winter of 2012(NPR/TED). If this trend continues to spiral downward, honey bees will disappearRead MoreThe Effects Of Colony Collapse Disorder ( Ccd ) And Other Factors That Are Causing The Bee Population978 Words   |  4 Pageseffects of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and other factors that are causing the bee population to decrease. INTRODUCTION I. Honeybees and their pollination contribute $17 billion a year to the United States’ economy. II. Due to variable causes, their population is declining at an alarming rate. a. In 1947, 5.9 million colonies were alive and well; today, that number has shrunk by over 50%. b. Scientists believe that one of the major causes for the decline is colony collapse disorder. III. Thesis:Read MoreColony Collapse Disorder1901 Words   |  8 PagesThe Buzz on Colony Collapse Disorder Denise Collins According to the National Geographic News website, the domestic honey bee population has decreased 50% in as many years (Roach, 2004). Many reasons are blamed for the decrease in honey bee numbers including diseases and pesticides. Scientists have given the decline in honey bee population phenomenon a name, Colony Collapse Disorder. While some experts maintain that Colony Collapse Disorder is a nuisance and not a catastrophe, it is a seriousRead MoreThe Disappearance of the Bees Essay1537 Words   |  7 Pagesof what would become known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) was that a very small amount to zero adult honey bees were found in the hive, there was a queen, immature bees and honey present, but without mature adults present not enough workers were available to maintain the very existence of the hive itself so the hive dies off the other event that is being witnessed is a mass die off bees as a whole within the colony itself. (Honey Bees and Colony Collapse Disorder). This is not a new event in