Human Organ Transactions and the Evil Face of the Internet

By: A Jefrino Fahik

Some time ago, the Indonesian public was shocked by the incident of Dewa’s death. Dewa is an 11-year-old boy from Makassar, South Sulawesi, who was found tragically dead in a bridge column, Inspection of East Pam Nipa-Nipa Reservoir, Moncongloe, Maros Regency, on Tuesday 10 January 2023 in the early morning.

Dewa’s life ended tragically at the hands of two teenagers who claimed they wanted to sell their organs because they were tempted by a kidney worth US$80,000.

The incident that befell Dewa specifically reflects two phenomena that are difficult to ignore in the medical tradition, which has developed since the 18th century. The medical tradition in question is the spread of the phenomenon of organ transplantation on the one hand and the fact that there is a scarcity of organs for medical purposes on the other.

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While one marks medical advances especially in the area of ​​organ donation, the other believes these advances have led to a scarcity of human organs which has a direct effect on ethical matters. According to the philosopher and bioethicist, James Stacey Taylor of The College of New Jerseyit is these two events that most clearly mark the dynamics of the practice of human organ transplantation in the last few decades.

It is impossible to describe in detail the two subjects here, but the important points of the debate for and against the issue of buying and selling human organs in the organ market will be briefly explained in relation to the incident of selling organs on the internet which was attempted by the perpetrators of Dewa’s murder, namely AR (17) and AF (14). One of the theoretical approaches that is the basis for explaining this phenomenon is the theory of contemporary bioethics.

Organ Market

According to Taylor (2005) the surge in organ transplants has the potential to trigger organ shortages, thus opening up the practice of buying and selling human organs. Organ trading transactions in Iran, for example, produced at least 8,400 human organs between 1988 and 2000.

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But this practice was shut down in 1999 because it sparked a human trafficking emergency. The same thing happened in India in 1994 but was shut down in 1995 for a similar reason: human trafficking.

There are several factors that have led to a spike in cases of buying and selling human organs. Firstorgan transplantation is increasingly in demand by the public because it is proven to be an effective therapy (effective therapy) for various vital organ diseases, as well as being able to replace various other therapeutic approaches, for example in treating patients with chronic/acute hepatitis.

Secondthis method is increasingly in demand because organ recipient patients can do a re-transplant (re-transplantation) in case of organ rejection in the new host.

Thirdpeople’s trust in organ transplantation is getting higher along with the success of a number of models of multiple organ transplantation (multiple organ transplants), such as type-1 diabetics who can receive two types of organs simultaneously: pancreas and kidney transplants (Manzai, 2016: 135).