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Invasion of the Body Snatchers
theodp writes "Newsweek reports that a grim trade in stolen human tissue isn't just the stuff of Robin Cook novels. Demand for the tissue, which is used in such procedures as joint and heart-valve replacements, back surgery, dental implants and skin grafts, has driven the price for a single harvested body up to $7,000. Many unsuspecting recipients are now rushing to doctors to be tested for tainted tissue."
The proper term for this practice is organlegging, not body snatching. Read Larry Niven to see where this may go.
Every organ transplant recipient should be strongly pressured to donate all their own organs when they die, if they're in acceptable condition. And the transplanting doctors should share some of the money they receive for the operation with the donor's family (or other beneficiary). The death of the donor should be sufficient prohibition for selling their organs. If it's not, the indestructible illegal trade will offer a market anyway.
Along these lines, I don't know why there's always such a severe blood shortage. Most people receiving blood transfusions schedule their surgery weeks or months in advance. It only takes a couple of weeks for drawn blood to regenerate. They should all have drawn the maximum they can handle from the moment their requirements are known until their surgery. And after they recover, they should submit even more. They should count primarily on their own autologous donations, which tax the healthcare system so much less by "matching the donor" without extensive tests and mistakes, as well as leaving the donations of other people alone. Everyone who receives blood from a stranger even once should have to donate at least once a year for several following years, health permitting. Maybe they should receive discounts on their own care when "giving back", maybe they should be required to donate if "in the system" for receiving from strangers. But there's absolutely no reason that scheduled blood demands should offer anything but a pool of donors, instead of the overwhelming demand we see now.
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make install -not war
The answer to #1, is that you do blood tests and/or biopsies. If the donor had some unfortunate disease or genetic disorder, it might show up.
The answer to #2... you wouldn't be able to tell the difference, if the tissues are "good". HOWEVER, if the tissues were "good", then there would be no reason to illegally harvest it.
I have a friend who used to work for several years as a 'technican' at a non-profit tissue harvesting company. They have a looooooong list of factors that will disqualify a candidate. Age, (il)legal drug use, travel history, medical history and more. Any tissues from those people are bad.
I told her about this story and her reply kinda shocked me: "Yea, I'm not surprised, nothing those guys [funeral home & morgue directors] do surprises me."
I know a lot more about the business than I'd like to, but I'll stop here to keep it short.
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
Gotta say, my opinions have changed since I had a child.
If I were in more dire straits than I am and needed to weigh a grim future for my child against my own ability to supply several body parts that would net enough to feed her until adulthood, it would genuinely be a tough choice. Desperation breeds ingenuity (or moral flexibility), in a sense.
This is not to say that I am in that situation or that I need to do this - all I'm saying is that there are countless outside influences that could make you willingly apply for something like this. Alastair Cooke and his unwilling counterparts (now THAT'S a funny word in all of this) notwithstanding, I bet there are plenty of people who really see value in the ability to sell organs. Be it through desperation or greed or whatever, it kind of boils down to just another commodity like livestock, grain, or intellectual property. We do what we needs to for our families, and poverty or desperation or boredom dictates how far we will go.
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
What about the blood?? You felt safer receiving that from another person??
Absolutely not. That didn't happen either. Never will.
Before the surgery I stockpiled my own blood, one unit per week, I had 5 units of my own blood on standby in case I needed it during the surgery.
I thought of all these things before hand.
I also carry a card in my wallet stating that in case of emergency I refuse blood, plasma, tissue or body parts from anyone other than my blood relatives.
If it means the difference between taking a transfusion from the public blood supply or laying there and dying, I choose to die. I refuse anonymous donations of anything going into my body. This also includes bio-engineered body parts like pig and mouse freakshow parts. No animal parts, no thanks.
And no, I'm not a religious fanatic, I'm an Atheist 101%.
Why? Because I don't want to catch any of the hundreds of disgusting diseases currently available through blood transfusions and organ/tissue donations.
Thanks, but no thanks.