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The dangers of selling my organs and how to get support.

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This article was written in partnership with Monir Moniruzzaman, an associate professor of anthropology at Michigan State University and member of the task force on organ transplantation at the World Health Organization, and Sean Columb, a senior law lecturer at the School of Law and Social Justice at the University of Liverpool. Both are experts in the field of organ trafficking.

People may think about selling their organs when they are in a difficult situation and in desperate need of money. People who are unable to find regular work, struggling with debt or unable to find support to make ends meet are more likely to be attracted by the money they are offered to sell one of their organs. However, there are many dangers to selling an organ.

Experts have found in their research that selling organs is likely to result in harm to the seller. Selling an organ is illegal and may cause long-term problems with the seller’s health, finances and social status. Scams are also common.

Risk of major health issues

The operations that organ sellers have are extremely dangerous procedures. Some organ sellers die during surgery. Some of the people performing the surgery are not qualified medical professionals.

Also, medical care after surgery is usually unavailable for organ sellers, which greatly increases the risk of long-term problems and death. Sellers usually have to pay for their own medical care after their surgery, which can cause more financial problems.

After surgery, sellers can struggle to find work if the surgery leaves them with poor health. Some sellers can’t do manual labor, like rickshaw pulling, day laboring or industrial lifting, ever again after selling an organ.

Risk of getting scammed

Experts say that sellers do not usually receive all of the money they were promised by brokers. This leaves sellers in an even worse financial situation. They may get far less money than they were told they would get or no money at all. Even if no payment is received, some sellers are still forced to give up their organs.

Brokers may also threaten the seller with the law if the seller tries to go after them, which increases the risk to the seller since selling an organ is illegal.

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Mission 89 (Protecting Young Athletes Against Trafficking in the Name of Sport)