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7 Jailed In 'Kidney For iPad' Case In China

Posted by timothy on from the let's-ask-tyler-cowen dept.

hackingbear writes "In China, the whole team of medical staff and their brokers were sentenced to jail yesterday over their involvement in the case of a teenager who sold a kidney to buy an iPhone and iPad. He Wei, who organized the illegal transaction in April 2011, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment by the Beihu District People's Court in Chenzhou City. The court added that the defendants had paid compensation worth more than 1.47 million yuan (~ US $237,000) to Wang. Ministry of Health statistics show that about 1.5 million people in China need transplants, but only 10,000 operations are performed each year."

11 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. Aha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting
    So you cannot sell your kidney?
    But you can donate your kidney...

    Sounds like prostitution -- action that is perfectly legal (for free), but cannot be done/sold for money.

    1. Re:Aha by TFAFalcon · · Score: 4, Insightful

      A prostitute just rents her body, she doesn't sell it.

  2. Making of a horror movie. by formfeed · · Score: 5, Funny

    You wake up in a bathtub filled with ice, an ipad in your hand.

    1. Re:Making of a horror movie. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      pick up ice

    2. Re:Making of a horror movie. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      That's cold! You put the ice back.

  3. Misleading title.. by David_Hart · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you RTFA, you will find that the donor was paid in cash. He then took this cash and bought an iPhone and an iPad. "Wang was given 22,000 yuan (US$3,529) and he bought an iPhone and an iPad with the money."

    But.... don't let the facts get in the way of a good PR title....

    1. Re:Misleading title.. by Squiddie · · Score: 4, Informative

      Doesn't change the fact that he sold his kidney so he could buy those items.

  4. Always wondered... by flimflammer · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What is the reasoning behind it being illegal to sell your non-vital organs? Is it to prevent people from being coerced into it under the guise of a legitimate transaction? Some weird pseudo prostitution thing about "selling your body"? Purely moral taboo?

    Always wondered why this was the case. You'd think if this venue was opened up, there would be more organs going where they are needed without requiring the donor first have a nasty case of death.

    1. Re:Always wondered... by Stickerboy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What is the reasoning behind it being illegal to sell your non-vital organs? Is it to prevent people from being coerced into it under the guise of a legitimate transaction? Some weird pseudo prostitution thing about "selling your body"? Purely moral taboo?

      Always wondered why this was the case. You'd think if this venue was opened up, there would be more organs going where they are needed without requiring the donor first have a nasty case of death.

      First: kidneys are vital organs. Just because the human body has a built-in redundancy does not make it any less necessary to live. Some people, depending on their preexisting health, won't be able to tolerate the removal of a kidney either without taking a significant hit to their kidney function.

      Second: opening the marketplace for donor human organs to profit motives is a bad idea all around. But, if you can solve the human conditions of corruption, avarice and socioeconomic inequality than yes, it might be workable.

      By the time a workable profiteering model for selling organs is adopted, we'll be growing MHC-matched replacement organs in the lab.

      --
      Light a fire for a man and he'll be warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
    2. Re:Always wondered... by artor3 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Because it's an incredibly foolish thing to do, and anyone entering into such a deal is being exploited. And unlike some cases of exploitation, such as payday loans, there's no going back on this one. This kid was just seventeen, and he was tricked into a transaction that will negatively impact him for the rest of his life. It's akin to selling highly addictive drugs. You can talk about free markets and rational self-interest all you want, but in the real world, people make mistakes. We should protect each other from making mistakes that one can never recover from.

    3. Re:Always wondered... by rollingcalf · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "What is the reasoning behind it being illegal to sell your non-vital organs? Is it to prevent people from being coerced into it under the guise of a legitimate transaction?"

      Years ago in India when selling kidneys was legal, many people actually were coerced into selling their kidneys. Sometimes the coercion was by family members, other times by the kidney brokers who would get a cut of the transaction.
      This particular case is aggravated by the age of the donor (seller), a 17 year old minor.

      "Always wondered why this was the case. You'd think if this venue was opened up, there would be more organs going where they are needed without requiring the donor first have a nasty case of death."

      Or it could actually decrease the available supply if people who would have otherwise donated out of kindness start demanding more and more money, making the transplants more unaffordable. And some people staying out of it altogether because they're disgusted with the coercion and corruption.

      --
      ---------
      There is inferior bacteria on the interior of your posterior.