Beijing Olympics bad news for South Koreans

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

This is so fcuking wrong, I don't even know where to start...

CHINA PREPARES FOR OLYMPICS

Drop in Executions Leads to Organ Shortage

With the Olympics in Beijing just 500 days away, China has begun cleaning up organ trafficking practices. Not only have exports been banned, but with fewer prisoner executions, a major source of organs has dried up. The result has been a kidney shortage in South Korea.

The preparations, it is said, are far ahead of schedule. With 500 days to go before the Olympic flame is lit in Beijing for the 2008 Games, construction of 31 venues in the Chinese capital is "progressing at a tremendous pace," International Olympics Committee president Jacques Rogge said this week. Even the new medal design was presented on Tuesday.

But the planning isn't just taking place on the streets of Beijing. The government is also trying to clean up some of its more blatant human rights violations -- like the export of kidneys from death penalty victims and organs harvested from minors. And it's creating organ shortages in South Korea.

According to a report last week in the dailyChosun Ilbo, the already long list of South Koreans waiting for organs is getting longer -- with the number expected to top 10,000 by the beginning of the month -- and their chances of getting a transplant are getting slimmer with China having decided to ban organ exports. In addition, executions in China have dropped sharply since the Chinese New Year in February, meaning that one of the primary sources for exported organs has dried up, organ brokers told the Korea Times.

Because South Koreans traditionally shy away from donating their organs, the situation for the seriously ill in the country looks grim. Furthermore, prices for organs have skyrocketed, with kidneys now going for $37,000 whereas prior to China stiffening organ export rules a kidney could have been had for $27,000. China has likewise elected to no longer give foreigners priority when it comes to organ transplant waiting lists.

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[almaty 19]

#######????????? terrible..and just wrong.............

[Otto 83]

Are we upset they're not killing more prisoners? I'm confused...

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Are we upset they're not killing more prisoners? I'm confused...

I thought it was upsetting to learn that the Chinese harvest organs from executed prisoners for export purposes. That's just so wrong on so many levels.

[Otto 83]

Are we upset they're not killing more prisoners? I'm confused...

I thought it was upsetting to learn that the Chinese harvest organs from executed prisoners for export purposes. That's just so wrong on so many levels.

Phew...! That was my thinking..but thought I was missing something based on the headline...

Edited March 28, 2007 by Karin und Otto

[Robor007 0]

Are we upset they're not killing more prisoners? I'm confused...

I thought it was upsetting to learn that the Chinese harvest organs from executed prisoners for export purposes. That's just so wrong on so many levels.

You don't think that the potential $$$ from a harvested organ would come into play when deciding the fate of prisoners do you? Let's see... We can pay to imprison you or we can execute you and cash in. Which should we do...?

This is reported as though it's a business. How many people are they executing there anyway?

[almaty 19]

Are we upset they're not killing more prisoners? I'm confused...

I thought it was upsetting to learn that the Chinese harvest organs from executed prisoners for export purposes. That's just so wrong on so many levels.

You don't think that the potential $$$ from a harvested organ would come into play when deciding the fate of prisoners do you? Let's see... We can pay to imprison you or we can execute you and cash in. Which should we do...?

This is reported as though it's a business. How many people are they executing there anyway?

i agree.. and in the future, incarcerated younger healthy people for crimes agaisnt the state..and whack them for organs.....terribly wrong....

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

From what I've read people in that part of the world want to be buried whole for religious reasons. So organ donors are very rare. But prisoners don't get the option of passing on the organ donor card. Neither do people who wake up in a tub of ice and are lucky enough to be missing only one kidney.

[Scott & Lai 12]

And China has a seat on the UN Human Rights Council

[mawilson 2,133]

Poor Koreans....

[Peikko 1,575]

I can't quite see what some of you are upset about. If you believe it's ok to execute people, then what does it really matter what you do with the person's organs afterwards? They were criminals and the state decides to profit from it, so what?

Imagine what this idea could do for the illegal immigration problem in the US if it was adopted here.

[mawilson 2,133]

Imagine what this idea could do for the illegal immigration problem in the US if it was adopted here.

Not much, unless we start executing people for entering without inspection

[Peikko 1,575]

I thought that was what some people were advocating...

[Robor007 0]

I can't quite see what some of you are upset about. If you believe it's ok to execute people, then what does it really matter what you do with the person's organs afterwards? They were criminals and the state decides to profit from it, so what?

I don't have a problem with the death penalty as long as the person being executed is proven guilty. I don't even have a problem with their organs being used to save people. However, when a country gets into the 'business' of dealing in executed criminals organs it creates a very shady situation... 'There's a shortage on kidneys? Time to roll out the execution vans boys!'.

In answer to my own question, the Wiki on capitol punishment states that China performed over 3400 executions in 2004 accounting for more than 90% worldwide.

Imagine what this idea could do for the illegal immigration problem in the US if it was adopted here.

I hope that was a joke.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I don't even have a problem with their organs being used to save people.

I do.

I thought that was what some people were advocating...

Who exactly was advocating that illegal immigrants should be executed? Can you provide a link to any such suggestion made on this board? I most certainly must have missed it.