Minister Arrested in Organ Procurement Scandal
Take a look at this article, which (briefly) describes the arrest of a Korean minister who was implicated in a black market organ transplant ring. According to the story, this clergyman and his cohorts were taking "premiums from terminally ill patients in return for arranging tours to China for transplant surgeries." How dare anyone actually find organs for desperately ill patients! What was the compensation to the conspirators? Again, according to the article,
It was uncovered that Koh and his collaborators earned W120 million (US$120,000) from 28 liver cancer patients.Perhaps $4200 per patient wasn't adequate to generate the required protection money.
Comments (8)
mynewsbot
People will do anything for money .. sad
Published: January 17, 2006 3:53 PM
Dick Clark
What is truly sad is the fact that people who are both willing and able to pay for an organ transplant are largely prohibited from doing so. Who is to say who "deserves" an organ other than the donor/donor's family, the recipient, and their respective physicians?
As far as I can tell from this article, this minister was doing God's work.
Published: January 17, 2006 5:41 PM
Eksu
They saves patients's life. I don't know what is wrong for their doing.
Published: January 18, 2006 6:31 PM
Eksu
They saved patients's life. I don't know what is wrong for their doing.
Published: January 18, 2006 6:31 PM
Roy W. Wright
People will do anything for money .. sad
Yes, people will even go so far as to save each others' lives for money. It's clearly, tragically, the root of all evil.
Published: January 19, 2006 12:59 AM
Yancey Ward
Interestingly, I read an article yesterday in which an administrator of the organ procurement network wrote/said that the solution to the organ shortage was to make organ donation mandatory. Now, he did make a qualification that people could opt out, but that in the absence of such an opt out, it would be assumed that you are an organ donor.
Is it just me, or is such an attitude extremely frightening?
Published: January 19, 2006 8:58 AM
tz
These were for livers "harvested" from Chinese people - were they asked or were they political prisoners and thus just another crop? Soylent Green (isn't that the color of bile) lite? Six recipients also died apparently from complications.
The problem is the statement is not properly worded - yes, people will go so far as to let people who could be saved die if they don't pay up.
I suppose it could make for a new form of loansharking or pawning - We take your organs and provide you with an artificial one that shuts off after 90 days, and we will only give it back if you pay off the loan (or reset the timer only if you keep up the payments).
People willing and able to pay for slaves, or hitmen, or child prostitutes, or a number of other things are also largely prohibited from doing so. And that is a good thing.
When you reduce human life to property, everything falls apart. Property cannot own property. Is life your being, or something you simply have? To have and to be are different things, and life (including health) is part of being.
We could have avoided the war between the states if organ transplants were available in the early 19th century. Then the southern blacks wouldn't just work the crops, they would be the crops.
The minister was not doing God's work - God will do good because it is good and not ask repayment. He is doing Mephistophiles work providing the dying Fausts a wish for a price. And the money is only the visible price - ultimately the price is the same that Faust pays.
Published: January 19, 2006 11:27 AM
Larry N. Martin
were they asked or were they political prisoners and thus just another crop?
That's a fair question, but the rest of your post is just silly, trying to make an argument where none exists. Part of the point, I think, is that any black market is more dangerous than it needs to be simply because it's been made illegal. I mean, where are the 'meth-slaves', tz?
Published: January 19, 2006 12:12 PM