Organ transplants: ethical approaches and legal solutions

Abstract

This integrative literature review investigates legal aspects and ethical solutions involved in the illegal
organ trade, an activity that sparks debates about ethics and morals. Bibliographical search was
conducted on the Virtual Health Library, PubMed and SciELO databases. A total of 14 papers were
analyzed, which pointed to low supply associated with high demand for organs as the main etiology
of the problem. This market takes advantage of vulnerable populations to coerce them into organ
donations. Additionally, the lack of connection between international databases and instabilities in
countries with high trafficking rates hinders police action to confront this crime. Organ trafficking
should be combated by encouraging legal organ donation, confronting “transplant tourism” and actions
aimed at the most vulnerable countries. International entities play a fundamental role in ensuring that
different nations work together to repress this type of crime.