Organ Transplant Trade: A Moral Examination

Abstract

This article normatively discusses two moral theories namely: Ubuntu and Deontology, with the aim of arguing against the practice of organ transplant trade. It is argued that this practice violates a rule of categorical imperative which states that human beings should not be used as the means, but always be treated as ends into themselves. Organ transplant trade also affects negatively the process of informed consent of vulnerable people who may overlook the risks in trading of organs and focus only on the monetary incentives. This article is based on non-empirical research which employs the method of critical and conceptual analysis with a review of existing literatures on the subject. Therefore, this article addresses the following question: do people have ownership of their bodily parts to an extent that they can autonomously sell them to make a living? This question is answered by concluding that the upholding of moral duties of human beings eliminates all human acts that violate the notion of human dignity.