Two Indonesian men is making top headline in the news recently for agreeing to sell their kidneys in Singapore where one of the potential recipients was Tang Wee Sung, the Chief Executive of CK Tang, a well-known Singapore retailer. The Straits Times reported that one of the Indonesians had agreed to sell his kidney to Mr. Tang, for 150 million rupiah ($16,290), but the deal was canceled when the health ministry intervened. Organ trading for transplant is illegal in most countries including in Singapore, but increasing numbers of people are doing it. In fact, it has become such a big business that some people are setting themselves up as 'transplant broker/middlemen'. Kidney damage is usually 'silent' and not noticed at an early stage, and people with diabetes and hypertension (two major causes of kidney failure) are prone to have this problem. But the shortage of legitimate organs is creating a black market where the rich are willing to pay whatever the cost to save their own lives, while the poor need the money to survive. People sell their organs because of poverty, they're desperate to get the big money incentives. In today's world everything has its price, and the organ trade is no different. Legal or illegal, organ trade seems sadly inevitable, but kidney sale is open to abuse where people might taking organs from unwilling donors as reported by the Dailymail a few months ago. Take a look here : Revealed : "Secret operating theatre of the Indian 'Dr Horror' who sold organs to Westerners".
I'd like to hear what you think about this issue. If you had to sell an organ for money, would you? Should the sale of human body parts be legalized?
