Ethics of paid organ donation.
As the waiting list of patients requiring organ transplantation grows, there is a subtle but noticeable shift in society towards accepting organs as a commodity which can be paid for. Although nowhere is the organ trade legal, the commerce of organs goes on in different parts of the world, especially in developing countries such as India. This is largely due to societal and governmental failure to implement the existing "transplant laws". It is high time the medical profession ceased being an accomplice to this unscrupulous trade, which exploits the poor, deters altruism retarding the living-related and cadaver transplant programs, commercializes the human body and jeopardizes human dignity.
Phadke
Kishore D
KD
Children's Kidney Care Center, St. John's Medical College Hospital, Sarjapur Road, Bangalore 560034, India. kishorephadke@hotmail.com
Anandh
Urmila
U
D000533:Altruism; D003132:Commerce; D003906:Developing Countries; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D014019:Tissue Donors