After extensive research, our reporters have uncovered some of the inner workings of both the legal and illegal organ trades.
Trading organs is perfectly legal in Australia and in many other countries around the world, as long as the donor gives consent and the procedure takes place in the appropriate medical setting. There is usually an opt in or opt out system, where people can choose whether they want their organs donated to help others after the event of their death. However, the donation rate in many of these countries, particularly where an opt-in system is employed, is hardly high enough to help every single patient in need of a new organ. This lack of organs causes people to look for other alternatives, sometimes turning to illegal methods.
In poorer countries, people actually sell their organs in order to earn some money, and often their payments are not nearly enough to be equivalent to the value of the organ in question. As well as taking organs from people who are almost forced to consent in order to prevent poverty, some organs are taken from people without consent, whether they be dead or alive. In this way, organs are able to be obtained not by who was first in line, but by whoever is willing to pay the most amount of money.
The above concepts will be discussed in far greater detail in the articles that follow, hopefully revealing the truth to the public about the organ trade.
