Organ Selling

IN HUMANS are two bean-shaped - about 4 inches long and about 2 ½ inches wide organs called kidneys which are located near the vertebral column at the small of the back . The main function of the kidneys are to purify the blood by separating urea, mineral salts, toxins and other waste products from it. Nature has so provided every human being a set of 2 kidneys so that blood purification runs on smoothly; one kidney assisting and complementing one another. What if one of the kidneys is deceased, malfunctioned or sold? Naturally the full burden of the blood purification process falls on the remaining kidney, who will now function double time without rest or backup. How long can one overburdened kidney last the wear and tear of today's daily human activities? Indeed it is a fact that a person with a single kidney left can still sustain life. But- can he live up to the rigors of his work being a porter or a pier hand?
Filipinos- like other human species- value life so much that for them the attainment of a perfect health isn't a remote possibility. However- this is easier said than done because problems most especially poverty bars the way. It is no wonder why some blood brothers are forced to sell their organs just to make both ends meet. It is no surprise to read ads in the papers and even in the internet kidneys being offered for sale.
For me selling kidney is a degrading business. When a person sells a kidney, his worth and personality are reduced to that of an animal. He's looked down upon as indolent, inutile, parasite and incapable of supporting a family.
Organ shortage fuels illicit trade in human parts. This is why poor Filipino families with little education are easily enticed to patronize black-market kidney trade. The yearly waiting-list of patients who are in dire need of healthy kidneys in the National Kidney and Transplant Institute is proof that there is shortage and a