selling organs

            Monir Moniruzzaman, the author of “Living Cadavers” in Bangladesh argues that “organ commodification is seriously exploitative and ethically reprehensible, as organs are extracted from the bodies of the poor by inflicting a novel form of bioviolence against them” on page 2. His argument about organ selling only addresses the cases where poverty is a serious problem. In that case, the equity has been dismissed and the sellers are treated unethically. However, this does not mean that organ selling itself is wrong. It only argues that the negative circumstances that sellers are in makes the organ selling wrong. With this vital part of wrongness of organ selling itself missing in his argument, he cannot say that organ commodification is wrong. In the case of Bangladesh, the main problem is socioeconomic status and therefore stopping the organ selling will not solve unethical problems. It may even create more unethical problems by not allowing the organ selling, such as increase in untreated patients resulting in death and illegal organ transplantation done in more unethical circumstances, causing more pain to the sellers.

            The organ selling itself is not bad, since it is saving someone’s life without increasing health risk of sellers if done properly. The psychological damage that Monir mentions in Bangladesh case to argue against organ selling is due to the poor circumstances, such as lying about the process, not because of the organ selling. They try to hide that they sold their organs because the society in Bangladesh views organ selling as wrong and they feel incomplete because the organ was taken away in a damaging way. If the poverty was not the cause of decision to sell the organ and if ethical steps were taken leading to the transplantation, the sellers will feel satisfaction of helping someone.

            The organ selling case in Bangladesh is unethical as Monir argues. However, it is not because of the organ selling itself but because of the poverty that creates unethical steps taken for organ selling to happen. Eliminating organ selling will not solve the ethical issues since it is not the core of the issue. It is the socioeconomic issues that have to be addressed in order to create a more ethical society.