Organ transplantation has been widely adopted worldwide. However, the rise of organ transplantation has lead to a desperate and critical organ shortage. That is, the number of patients in need of kidneys, hearts, livers corneas (etc.) outstrips the number of available donations. This situation is particularly acute in China, therefore, patients often travel to areas where organs are attainable via a black market. In turn human organ trafficking has become a worldwide phenomenon.
Within this context, a number of practical and moral dilemmas emerge. Specifically, the sale of ones own organs for cash - often by economically vulnerable people - is ethically problematic. Moreover, these illegal operations - often undertaken in unsanitary conditions - commonly result in death for the ‘donor’. As such, it is critical that the illegal sales market in organs is stopped as a matter of urgency.
The aim of this project is to raise awareness of, and to provoke thought around, the ethical and moral implications of the human organ trade. Moreover, I want to make the public consider the future possibilities and consequences (both negative and positive) around monetising organ trade, and the possibilities of organ harvesting in relation to emerging technologies such as 3D printing.