Psst... need a kidney? Have I got a deal for you...

[Shockeye]

UK kidney patients head for China

Britons are being targeted by an internet company offering the organs of dead prisoners in a trade condemned as 'disgusting' by surgeons

Jo Revill, health editor
Sunday December 11, 2005
The Observer

Kidney patients who need a transplant in Britain are being targeted by a medical group offering them new organs taken from executed Chinese prisoners.

The horrifying trade in human organs has been revealed by British surgeons who say patients are being tempted abroad, but may not fully understand the dangers or the human suffering behind the transplant operation.

It is thought that as many as 10 British patients may have gone to China this year to receive a new kidney, at a cost of £23,000. One UK patient was believed to be recovering this weekend at a hospital in southern China following such a transplant.

 The internet company transplantsinternational.com makes it clear that the organs are from prisoners who are about to be executed. The prisoners apparently give their consent and are told that their families will receive money for the 'donation'.

Under the heading 'Where do kidneys come from?', the company states: 'A cadaveric kidney comes from a dead person and in the majority of cases in China, the dead people are prisoners, which allows for us to know at least two weeks ahead of time when the kidney will be ready.'

It also makes clear that before the death, blood samples are taken from prisoners to ensure they will be the perfect match for their Western beneficiaries.

'All donors are screened to prevent any disease transmission and the prisoners consent to organ donation. Unlike in some Western countries, the prisoners can receive money for their organs.'

Dr Peter Andrews, a consultant nephrologist from St Helier Hospital in Surrey, said: 'In the past 18 months we've had at least five patients say they are considering this. Five years ago, it would have been unheard of.'

Another doctor, Professor Stephen Wigmore, head of transplantation surgery at University Hospital Birmingham Trust, said that recently one of his patients had gone some way towards preparing for a liver transplant in China, before deciding against it.

Doctors in Oxford, Nottingham and Sussex have reported similar cases, according to Hospital Doctor magazine.

Prof Nadey Hakim, head of transplantation surgery at Imperial College London, said: 'It is so disgusting it is hard to know how any doctor can take part in this trade.

'Of course people become desperate for a new kidney - but do they realise what this trade is like? I first heard about it a few years ago from a Chinese doctor and I couldn't believe it. Would anyone want to receive an organ from someone who died in this way?'

Hakim also has worries about other kinds of transplants carried out in China. 'We know that they have done around 10 arm transplants so far, and I was told that these donors are also prisoners. It raises many difficult ethical issues.'

The kidney transplants are carried out at the Southern Hospital in Guangzhou by Dr Lixing Yu, who has performed thousands of kidney transplants over the past 30 years.

According to the website, he specialises in research on the long-term survival of patients and has received more than 19 national awards for his work.

Earlier this month, China broke its silence on the issue to admit that organs of executed prisoners were sold to foreigners for transplantation. Huang Jiefu, the deputy prime minister, admitted that the practice is widespread, but said they wanted to tighten the rules.

'We want to push for regulations on organ transplants to standardise the management of the supply of organs from executed prisoners and tidy up the medical market,' Mr Huang told Caijing magazine.

standardise the management = bigger cut of the profit

[HaemishM]

Those damn Chinese pirates. Will they stop at nothing?

[Evangolis]

Those damn Western consumers, will they stop at nothing?

Horrible, appalling, predictable.  If you are killing someone for misconduct, the urge to convert the event into good conduct is obvious.  And if you are faced with death, taking something from someone who already is dying accesses a similar justification.  Once killing people is an acceptable mode of justice, everything else is easy from there.

[Kenrick]

I got my new kidney from Lewis Lewis.

[voodoolily]

I thought he was only in a coma.

[Sairon]

I will probably be flamed to pieces for saying this, but I don't have any problems with this kind of practice, even if it's distasteful. Since the prisoners have to agree to it and gets some $ it seems like a win-win situation to me.

[HaemishM]

This is Communist China. The prisoners likely DON'T have to agree with it, it isn't like non-criminal citizens have many human rights anyway.

[voodoolily]

I've often thought that convicted rapists, pedophiles and murderers should be used for AIDS research, but then again, everyone knows I'm CRAZY!!

[stray]

Well, what exactly does AIDS research entail? I may be down with that.

[voodoolily]

Well, you know, instead of using Rhesus monkeys and chimps to test new drugs, just test the drugs on inmates. Most of 'em are prolly already infected anyway.

[HaemishM]

We could always just make sure they are before we test them.

[stray]

We could always just make sure they are before we test them.

Is it possible to place AIDS on the stick end of a mop or broomstick?

No wait, a super-mutated Miracle-Gro cucumber. That would be ideal.

[Kenrick]

CRAZY!!

goddamn, woman, how long did that take you?

[voodoolily]

CRAZY!!

goddamn, woman, how long did that take you?

It only took a minute.

We could always just make sure they are before we test them.

OMG are you actually considering that this is a good idea? You're usually the sole voice of reason around here.

Death row inmates should have the choice of either being executed or being given AIDS and then used for research. I'm sure some (who actually have remorse) would go for it.

[Pococurante]

I will probably be flamed to pieces for saying this, but I don't have any problems with this kind of practice, even if it's distasteful. Since the prisoners have to agree to it and gets some $ it seems like a win-win situation to me.

Yeah but if past practices still prevail the still deduct the cost of the bullet.

You're usually the sole voice of reason around here.

This is why I love the holidays.  Everyone is having a good time telling jokes and we just laugh and laugh and laugh. ;)

[HaemishM]

We could always just make sure they are before we test them.

OMG are you actually considering that this is a good idea? You're usually the sole voice of reason around here.

This is the color for droll rejoinders. Would green text have helped?

Death row inmates should have the choice of either being executed or being given AIDS and then used for research. I'm sure some (who actually have remorse) would go for it.

I have no problem with letting death row inmates be used for medical research so long as they agree. The problem is that you end up with Snoop Doggy Dre on death row for killing six of his baby's momma turning into the fucking Absorbing Man and wreaking havoc on the world.

[Hoax]

Fucking absorbing thug eh?  Thats just what we need...

Then the military industrial complex would find a way to create some kind of super bisquick that turns soldiers into absorbing men (but gives them brain cancer and herpes) when they eat flapjacks made from it, so we can really kick the shit out of Iran and any other evildoer nation that stands in our way.

[voodoolily]

What the hell is an absorbing man? Is that some superhero?

[Roac]

I've often thought that convicted rapists, pedophiles and murderers should be used for AIDS research, but then again, everyone knows I'm CRAZY!!

No, too narrow ROI.  There was some small controversy in the news where a murder wanted to donate a kidney but had some (minor) strings attached.  The victim's family was outraged.  I think it's a great idea.  Actually, all the above people ought to be mandatory spare parts.  Obvously you're too fucked up to fit in society and make even modestly poor use of them yourself. 

[Sairon]

This is Communist China. The prisoners likely DON'T have to agree with it, it isn't like non-criminal citizens have many human rights anyway.

I guess you're right about that, but I support the concept.

[Bunk]

What the hell is an absorbing man? Is that some superhero?

Oh shit, I needed a laugh like this... Not laughing at your question, but Haem's post.

Seriously though, lol, you are close. Absorbing man was one of the Hulk's arch nemesiseses.. er bad guys.
He was an escaped prisoner that could absorb and take on the properties of anything he touched - steel, concrete, salami, whatever. He carried around a comically oversized ball and chain - because he was a prisoner, get it? Sigh...

[Ironwood]

Wasn't it Spider Man, Noobler ?

[voodoolily]

That's what I thought, I guess. I just wasn't sure if it was the Overly-Used Metaphor of the Month, like "strawman" or something.

Someone should make a comic book character called The Noobler.

[HaemishM]

Wasn't it Spider Man, Noobler ?

Hell, Absorbing Man has probably fought (and gotten his ass kicked) by everybody in the Marvel Universe. But I think he actually did get his powers from prison. Luke Cage, also known as Power Man, got his powers from volunteering for prison experiments.

[Sky]

Luke Cage was cool. I had a lot of Power Man/Iron Fist mags.

[Ironwood]

Wasn't it Spider Man, Noobler ?

Hell, Absorbing Man has probably fought (and gotten his ass kicked) by everybody in the Marvel Universe. But I think he actually did get his powers from prison. Luke Cage, also known as Power Man, got his powers from volunteering for prison experiments.

No, you're right.  Crusher Creel got his powers while in prison.  But then things took a radical turn that neither you or I remembered ....

http://www.marveldirectory.com/individuals/a/absorbingman.htm


Oh, and apparently he has a penis for a head.

Which is nice.

[HaemishM]

Crusher Creel is a playa.

[Ironwood]

I had forgotten how hot Gwen Stacy actually was :




Rowr and whatnot.

[Yegolev]

Thor defeated him again by tricking him into absorbing the properties of a cardboard replica of Thor's hammer.

Ah, the salad days of comics.