We supposedly live in enlightened times. But like the opening scene in Blue Velvet that shows the vermin crawling beneath the beautiful appearing lawn, the downtrodden in our world are exploited and oppressed in unbelievable ways. Children are trafficked for sex. People are trafficked for organs and organs are trafficked, allowing the rich to predate the poor in what I call biological colonialism. It goes on and on.
The UN has noticed the organ problem and prepared a report on the problem. From the story:
The United Nations and the Council of Europe jointly called on Tuesday for international measures to prevent trafficking in human organs, tissues and cells (OTC). Separate agreements should also be worked out to stop human trafficking for the purpose of removal of organs, which is described as a small part of the wider organ trafficking problem...
The authors, who belong to the UN, the Council of Europe and several universities, noted the lack of any written regulations or oversight of organ sales and transplants that transcend national boundaries. They called for an internationally agreement and a legal system setting out the definition of trafficking in OTC which would take into account existing standards of international organizations like the World Health Organization. They said ethics and bio-ethical issues should also be discussed on an international level. “Trafficking in human beings is a real and growing problem all over the world,” the study said. “Human beings are bought and sold a commodities.” It said organ trafficking is still “relatively unknown and insufficiently researched.”
The UN and Council of Europe called on the UN General Assembly to begin the process of setting up an international convention to fight trafficking for the purpose of organ removals and transplants.
Of course, with the UN, it’s too often all talk and no go. But this is an important first step. And there is much work to do:
The study estimated that 10 per cent of kidney transplants performed annually around the world come from trafficked organs.
And here’s the push-back: The colonial powers like their perks. They want to be able to harvest the destitute if times get desperate. Some, even openly brag about their deeds. For example, the human exploiter Daniel Asa Rose, the author of Larry’s Kidney, recounted his adventures buying an organ in China, to the applause of book reviewers, despite the near certainty that someone was killed so Cousin Larry could have a kidney. Sickening.
