Ethical and policy considerations for organ trafficking and transplant tourism: Based on the UK's first international case of human trafficking for the purpose of organ removal

Lanyi Yu; Xiaomei Zhai

doi:10.1002/hcs2.70

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Case Report | Open Access

Ethical and policy considerations for organ trafficking and transplant tourism: Based on the UK's first international case of human trafficking for the purpose of organ removal

Lanyi Yu^{¹^,²}, Xiaomei Zhai^{¹^,²}

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School of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China

Center for Bioethics, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China

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Abstract

This study examines the UK's May 2023 judgment in an international organ trafficking and organ tourism case. Human trafficking for organ removal is one of the least understood but growing forms of trafficking worldwide. Countries in the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas are often widely criticized by the international transplant community as sites for organ trafficking. However, we believe that when discussing this issue, it is not just these areas that need to be addressed. What is particularly special is that this case not only involves transnational human trafficking, organ trafficking, and illegal organ transplantation interest chains but also involves the participation of national political officials and complex social and humanistic factors. This article focuses on the current ethical and policy issues involved in organ transplant tourism and organ trafficking and analyzes the implications of this case for our country's donation and transplantation work.

Keywords

tourism transplantation ethics financial incentives policy organ trafficking

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Health Care Science

Volume 2 Issue 5,
October 2023

Pages 339-344

DOI: 10.1002/hcs2.70

Cite this article:

Yu L, Zhai X. Ethical and policy considerations for organ trafficking and transplant tourism: Based on the UK's first international case of human trafficking for the purpose of organ removal. Health Care Science, 2023, 2(5): 339-344. https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.70