Desparate Britons Seek to Sell Kidneys to Pay Debts

In a sign that economic times are definitely getting far rougher that previously believed, undercover reporters have exposed a shocking trade that financially strapped UK citizens are turning to in an effort to pay down their debt.

The reports show that a variety of individuals from different walks of life have found themselves so far in debt that they they are unsure where to turn and so they have sought out potential buyers for their own internal organs. One taxi driver from Lancashire advertised his kidney on the internet, seeking to raise £25,000 to pay off his credit card bills and mortgage as well as buy himself a new kitchen. In addition, the man seeks £1,200 for lost wages that the operation would cost him plus £1,000 to cover his hotel expenses because the transplant surgery would have to take place in a foreign country where regulations are far less strict.

For his part, the taxi driver explained he was less motivated by financial gain as by the thought that he might be able to save another person’s life with his kidney. Having already been approached by a man from Pakistan whom he felt was not a person in need, but rather a organ broker, the man wanted to meet the person to whom the kidney would be going before submitting to the potentially dangerous operation.

Those who undergo such operations risk an assortment of potential health problems not from lack of a kidney, but from the operation itself. Infections and blood-related issues are the most common killers of those who undergo even a successful organ donation surgery.

Another man, a mental health professional in his mid 20’s, sought £25,000 for his kidney in the hopes that it would help him pay down a debt and make a better life for himself and his son. His debt stands at £20,000 and is held by people whom the man claims are not of the type that anyone would want to be in debt with. Since he sees no other option, this is the route he has chosen to go.

The reason no British surgeon would ever agree to perform such an operation is due to the fact that the mere offer to sell one’s organs is a violation of the Human Tissue Act with a fine and a penalty of up to three years in jail, even if the surgery itself is not set to be performed on British soil.

A global underground organ trade is certainly growing, but in the UK options such as an IVA or even Bankruptcy are far better alternatives in terms of their effectiveness and legality.