Combating Organ Trafficking in Iran in the light of New Legislative Measures

Following the arrival of the human trafficking caravan in Iran and the subsequent intervention of lawmaker in 2004 to put forth special legislation for combating it, there has been recent troubling signs pointing to a new phenomenon of trafficking in human organs in the country. The inherent exploitation on a basis of financial strength in such practices leads to societal inequities predominately favoring the rich over the poor, which is further exacerbated by the consequential drop in humanitarian organ donations to legitimate medical institutions. As such, this condition constitutes a grave breach in ethical and moral standards of society. Furthermore, such procedures often conducted in absence of proper medical training and technology may result in infliction of irreparable harm upon both the donor and recipient parties. The banning and criminalization of the trafficking in human organs by the international community, as well as the internal strife from an increase in observed cases of such activities, has prompted the legislative and executive branches to submit a draft proposal, for ratification by the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran, laying out the punitive measures for involvement in such activities. The present article provides a critical assessment of the deficiencies in the current draft.