What I mean is, what do people buy organs for? Transplants? Eating? Some other fucked up purpose I didn’t think of?

From what I know, buying human organs is a tad bit too expensive and risky to do just for shits and giggles.

    • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 day ago

      “supply and demand” is a theory about price discovery. it is not an explanation for the existence of a market.

    • andrewta@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Exactly. Too much demand and not enough supply. People get desperate and will look for a way to buy the organ.

    • hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOP
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      2 days ago

      I figured that that seems like the most logical reason, but why do people not just get a transplant from a donor at a hospital?

      • CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        The amount of people that donate organs is far lower than the need. We really ought to have an opt out system. Other people need your inside meat more than the embalmer does.

        • Pandemanium@lemm.ee
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          21 hours ago

          And in order for the organs to be usable, a person basically has to die already in the hospital, otherwise there is too much time between death and organ removal. And the cause of death needs to have not affected the organs, etc. Really a lot of limiting factors. I don’t remember the stat, but it’s a very low percent of organ donors who are actually able to have their organs used for transplants when they die.

          • CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world
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            17 hours ago

            I read something similar recently so I went to look it up. According to Donor Alliance:

            “only 3 in 1,000 people pass away in a manner that allows for deceased organ donation”

      • Hugin@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        More people need a transplant than there are donors. A lot of people die waiting for an organ. Some people are willing to skip the wait list and get their organ from non willing donors.

      • ApollosArrow@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        There is a waiting list, and not all those people have the time to wait. I’m sure insurance is also a large part.

      • bassomitron@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Because the waitlist is often very long. On top of a limited supply, there are other limiting factors, e.g. if you’re already really old and sick, the organ that becomes available will likely go to a candidate that’s more likely to have a successful transplant instead, such as a healthier kid or something.

      • etchinghillside@reddthat.com
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        2 days ago

        Let’s say you’re a Cartel member, you need a transplant for you or someone you love, and you’ve acquired an amount of money that solves this through already illegal means.

        Might you be inclined to not go through the ”normal” channels to obtain and perform the surgery?