Recently, there has been a debate on whether should organ trading be allowed in Singapore. Organ trading refers to one paying someone else for their organs to replace oneself's damaged organ. An example would be kidney.
Personally, I feel that organ trading should not be allowed in Singapore. It is true that through organ trading, we can expand the pool of organs available for transplant. For example, people suffering from kidney failure can find a kidney more easily, instead on waiting for a suitable organ from a willing donor (which possibility is quite small) . This could save many lives, especially people whose organs are failing and need an organ transplant urgently.However, if organ trading were to be allowed, it might bring about the rise of many social problems.
For example, will people resort to selling their organs due to lack of money? Will writings like " OWE MONEY PAY MONEY, NO MONEY SELL KIDNEY" appear on walls of HDB flats?( 18 january 2007 The Straits Times , Forum H8). Will the poor resort to selling organs to escape poverty ?
I believe that organ trading should not be allowed as I consider it as being immoral and unethical. Treating our body as a "saleable" asset is definitely immoral. Such trades will involve exploitation of the worse-off in our society. I believe organ transplant is only meaningful if the donor is willing to donate his/her organs out of love rather than for selfish reasons.
What are your opinions on "whether organ trading should be allowed in Singapore?"
Feel free to leave ur comments in our tagboard
Satays & Ketupats
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Re: Should organ trading be allowed in Singapore?
While its true that legalising the sale of organs might give rise to a fair share of problems, the benefits of this move must also be taken into consideration. Although issues like the sale of organs for paying off debts and other related cases might arise, the number of disease-stricken patients that might be saved from the sale of these organs should and will increase dramatically.
In the light of the year 2002 Slim10 slimming pill saga, an Indian lady died of liver failure as she did not receive the organ transplant that might have saved her life. Apart from the fact of the very few organ donors in Singapore, donors apart from immediate family members are not allowed to donate their organs to the patients, adding to the difficulty of patients getting a successful transplant. The death of the Indian lady was something that would have been prevented should organ sales were legalized.
True, although the sale of organ is considered unethical and immoral, and is said to devalue human life, but isnt prostitution, by the selling of a woman's body and soul, a more serious crime of the two? At least the sale of organs might save another's life, but what about prostitution? It does not bring about any immediate benefits and only spread diseases.
And if by the sales of the organs might pull the poor out of poverty, who are we to deny them that chance out of the vicious cycle of poverty?
Although its also a fact that only the poor will be exploited through the sales of organs, its a harsh world out there and that's how life is: unfair.
Therefore, the sales of human organs should be considered thoroughly and be legalized as soon as possible as the sales of human organs are already taking place in other part of the world. By legalizing, the illegal organ sales might be curbed and might bring about benefits for the less fortunate.
Anthony - Satays & Ketupats.
Post a Comment