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Appeal in Circulation from 22nd August 1985

In recent times we are coming across disturbing cases where people are taking recourse to selling their organs as a desperate step to get away from their utterly hopeless economic condition. In a specific case in Calcutta Amita Naskar a 22 year old destitute woman decided to sell her kidney to the highest bidder in order to be able to raise her baby and family, approached a city vernacular daily which advertised her case. She got fabulous offers from interested parties ( The TELEGRAPH ,Calcutta 29.7.85 ). Although parting with a kidney may not be immediately harmful to the donor, it can be dangerous in the long run if the other goes wrong or other complications arise.

This is only example. It is very probable that other organs with even more grave implications may be transplanted in future. Though selling may appear to be a mutually beneficial act for the destitute and the receiver, this is at best a wrong way of viewing the problem. Though the donor may be unwilling to part with such an irreplaceable, vital organ and expose his person to great risk he is forced to do so under deplorable economic conditions and lured by large sums as price. He is in no way guaranteed a safe transplantation.

We think it is inhuman and callous on anybody’s part to incite people in distress to vent their agony and solve their problem in such a superficial manner. Nobody can escape from this responsibility. Certainly, the people can expect better protection against such practices from the legislators and the society at large.

As are found in the cases of skull and skeleton trade in all probability criminal rackets will crop up to exploit the indigent donors. If people can sell their children for flesh trade they can also force them to part with their vital organs.

Therefore it is of utmost importance that transplantations if and when they are done, should be made strictly in the hospitals and nursing homes under the supervision of the proper medical bodies like Indian Medical Association after rigorous inquiry.

We are appealing to the government, to all political parties social organizations, intellectuals, students and every Citizen of India to be aware of the grave implications of such practices and seek

i ) Ban on selling of organs of living persons

ii ) To have transplantation done under proper supervision.

 

Signed by:

Santanu Datta, Dipankar Das, Shiddharta Bhaduri, Sanjukta Datta, Albert Huart, G. Beckers, Subhashish Chakraborty , Sib Sankar Bala, Abhijit Datta, Narayan Pal Chaudhuri, Krishna Mitra, Moti Hari, Binayak Datta Roy,Annie Joseph, A. Chatterjee, Ranjan Ray, Alokmoy Datta, Tarakdas Basu, J Maliyekal, Tapan Saha, R. N. Nandi, Arun Nath , Didar Singh, D.L. Bhattacharyya, Alok Bhowmick, M.S. Zaman, Asima Chatterjee, R. K. Poddar

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