Organ Transplant Scam Shocks India: Urban Myth is Real

  • Thread starter Thread starter EnumaElish
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a reported organ transplant scam in India, highlighting the shocking nature of the events and raising questions about the logistics and ethics of organ matching and transplantation. Participants express their horror and disbelief at the situation, while also speculating on the mechanisms behind such illicit activities.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express shock and disgust at the reported organ transplant scam, emphasizing the moral implications of such actions.
  • Questions are raised about how organ matches are determined, with one participant speculating on the possibility of blood tests being used to identify potential donors without their knowledge.
  • Another participant points out the challenges of organ compatibility and the short viability of organs outside the body, questioning the feasibility of quickly finding a match for a harvested kidney.
  • There are references to other global practices regarding organ harvesting, particularly concerning executed prisoners, which adds to the moral outrage expressed in the thread.
  • Humor is introduced in a darker context, with participants joking about the methods of execution and the absurdity of billing families for the cost of bullets, highlighting the grim nature of the discussion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the horror of the organ transplant scam, but there is no consensus on the specifics of how such a scheme could operate or the ethical implications of organ matching practices.

Contextual Notes

Participants express various assumptions about the processes involved in organ matching and harvesting, but these remain unresolved and speculative. The discussion reflects a mix of emotional responses and technical inquiries without definitive conclusions.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in ethical discussions surrounding organ transplantation, medical practices, and global health issues may find this thread relevant.

EnumaElish
Science Advisor
Messages
2,348
Reaction score
124
Urban myth is real!

Organ transplant scam shocks India

By SAM DOLNICK, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 12 minutes ago

GURGAON, India - The last things Mohammed Salim remembered were the knees pinning him to the ground, the guns pointed at his head, and, finally, the injection that sent him into oblivion.

When he awoke, he was in agonizing pain, uncertain where he was or why he was wearing a hospital gown.

"We have taken your kidney," a masked man calmly explained. "If you tell anyone, we'll shoot you."

Salim was one of the last victims in an organ transplant racket that police believe sold up to 500 kidneys to clients who traveled to India from around the world over the past nine years.

...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080130/ap_on_re_as/india_kidney_racket

I guess where there is a profit, there is a willing villain.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Biology news on Phys.org
This is sickening.
 
I read this the other day, it's horrible.
 
How on Earth do they get a match? Someone had to be matching them and keeping them on file till they had a matching buyer...Can a kidney be matched by blood test? Imagine, You go to your doctor for a cold, He takes some blood "just as a precaution" he tells you. 6 months later an order comes in that you match. You wake up on your livingroom floor minus a kidney...evil.
 
Since an organ only lives outside the body for a few hours, and organ compatibility (HLA antigens, etc.) is a very tricky affair, it does seem pretty odd that anyone could extract a kidney from a stranger and actually find a recipient for it before it dies...

Yes, all you'd need to determine a match is a blood sample, but even that would seem hard to get. If you know someone needs a kidney, what do you do? Go stick needles into a bunch of people on a train until you find one that matches? :smile:

- Warren
 
Pretty sad. Have you seen what they do with executed prisoners in China. Let alone how they kill them?
 
Don't they just shoot them in the back of the head? I'll take that over lethal injection any day.

Or do you mean they have mobile Death Vans, delivering executions right to your door? Because that is pretty horrendous.
 
Then they send a bill to your family for the bullet.