Danger Zone One

Artificial “Enhanced” Organs Are Here!
So Why Are People Still Turning to Organ Traffickers?
By Dr. Gruen Lunther

Is your heart failing? Need a new kidney? Don’t worry, we can grow one in a lab, genetically-designed to function in peak condition and perform better than new. It would be like getting a transplant from the healthiest individual alive—but specifically tailored to your body.

Despite that, illegal organ trade has skyrocketed in recent years. But why?

Firstly, artificial organs are extremely costly. Those without the economic support can simply not afford the procedure. Likewise, the same applies to those in third world countries—where organ traffickers thrive. In many cases, it’s cheaper to buy a black market organ than an artificial one.

Another impending issue: as artificial organs become more popular, the older method of organ transplantation will be less practiced. The ramifications are three fold. One—organ donors will continue to grow scarce as hospitals become unwilling to transplant organs in favor of far more profitable artificial replacements. Two—as the practice becomes rarer, insurance companies drop coverage of transplants. And, finally, three—doctors themselves become reluctant to perform transplants, as two patients are potentially at risk, the donor and recipient. In the case of deceased donors, this is less of an issue, but it’s likely that few people would even consider choosing to donate their organs after death once the medical world shuns the practice. Worse yet, since artificial organs are tailor-made to their recipients on a genetic level, these can not be transplanted to others.

But why are the wealthy, who can afford artificial organs, still buying through the black market? As mentioned last week, there are numerous personal reasons and beliefs that may cause one to reject artificial organs. A small (but increasingly popular) theory is that artificial organs can eventually have negative effects on the human body. This is wholly unproven—but those who believe it claim that the use of artificial organs are still too new, and that medical science has yet to see how these “fake” organs will affect the body in twenty-to-thirty years.

There have been very few instances where a recipient’s body rejected the artificial organ, resulting in death. In the handful that have been documented, it was believed that the body simply couldn’t adjust to the genetically “perfect” organ, or that the new organ overworked other unhealthy, weak, or failing organs. This has only happened in a small percentage (under 3%) of registered patients.

Regarding the fear of artificial organ rejection, the same claims were made years ago about bio-identification (BID) chips, which 98% of the global population now have implanted in their body. Some would argue that BID chips are so insignificant in size (smaller than a grain of rice), that they pose little threat—but two decades ago, many decried the implantation, yet it’s readily accepted today—even by those who dismiss artificial organs today. Only time will tell if the swaying of public opinion and overcoming serious economic hurdles can allow this new avenue of medical advancement to flourish.

Danger Zone One. Story by Midnight. Art by Salaiix.