You are on page 1of 2

The sale-of human organs

Discussion
Under what circumstances would you allow an organ to be removed from your body? Tick the ones you
agree with:
a. If I needed a n operation. /' Donorcard
b. After death, for general medical purposes.
I request that after my death:
c. To donate a n organ t o a close relative. A. any part of my body may be used for the treatment
d. To donate a n organ t o a close friend. of others or
B. my kidneys corneas heart lungs liver
e. To help anyone in need. pancreas be used for transplantation
f. To make money. Signature.. .............. Date.. .......
g. Never. In the event of my death, if possible, contact:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tel: . . . . . . . . . I
Many people carry an organ donor card, which allows
doctors to take parts of their bodies if they are killed.
Do you carry one? If not, why not?
Remember to tell someone close to you that you
want to be an organ donor. Their agreement is
important it the time ever comes. I
Reading
Read this article about debt collection in Japan. Does the same thing happen in other countries?

JAPANESE URGED TO SELL EYES TO PAY DEBTS


The phone calls from the debt to small businesses who are Yamazaki, a small business owner in
collector got increasingly more experiencing financial difficulties Tokyo and also a recently-threatened
threatening. First, the standard and who cannot raise money in other borrower. "Maybe in the western
pressure: "You have to come up with ways. Their methods give a whole world this is different." And indeed it
the money. Sell your house quickly ... new meaning to the idiomatic is. The United States, for example,
sell your clothes and all your expression, "It'll cost you an arm and outnumbers organ donations in Japan
belongings if necessary." But then: a leg!" by 20to 1.
a You have don't Aggressive debt collection has Fortunately for Mr Mamoto, he
you? Many Our borrowers always been an unpleasant aspect of found the legal help he needed before
have One. You can get $281000 for a the business world but this new having to resort to selling off parts of
k i b ~ . You can get s9W for an development has caused outrage. The his body. He filed the first criminal
said the debt On sale of body organs is especially complaint against one of the largest
tape recordings of the calls. sensitive in Japan, where people are loan shark companies in Japan, a
By this time, the person receiving the often reluctant to even allow the company charging interest rates of 30
calls, Mr Mamoto, a retired donation of an organ after death for to 40 per cent. National television has
metalworker, was so frightened that medical purposes. broadcast the recorded telephone
when he heard dogs barking, he ''We believe that our bodies are threats repeatedly in an attempt to
thought it was debt collectors corning sacred. I would never allow anyone make Japanese citizens aware of the
after him, his lawyer said. to take anything away from my bady ruthless world of debt collection.
These 'shoko loan' firms lend money - dead or alive," said Mr Hiroshi

Read the text again and answer these questions:


1.In the telephone threats that were made, what did the debt collector say that shows there have been
other victims of these threats?
2. H o w did M r M a m o t o get proof of these threats?
3. According t o the article, why are there so few organ donors in Japan?
4. Which idiomatic expression in the article means 'very expensive'?

Discussion
1.The debt collector gave prices for certain organs. Where was he possibly getting those figures from?
2. D o you think people w h o object t o organ donation are being selfish?

18 The sale of human organs Taboos and Issues


Language 1 Language 2
Remember this idiomatic expression from the Now put the expressions from the exercise
article, meaning that something is very expensive: opposite into the sentences below:
It'll cost you an arm and a leg! 1.I had to think . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . before
Lots of expressions in English have the word 'and' I decided to become an organ donor.
in the middle. For example: salt and pepper. There 2. It's amazing that this is still a controversial
are two things to know about these expressions:
issue in this . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The order never changes - you never say 'cost
3. It's a complicated issue. There's no simple
a leg and an arm.'
answer. It's not . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The words before and after 'and' are almost
always the same word class - 'arm' and 'leg' 4. Maybe some day people will change their
are both nouns. attitude towards organ donation - we'll just
have to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Match the words below. The first one has been
done for you as an example. 5. In some countries people who are willing to
donate their organs are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1. sick a. and age
6. These are . . . . . . . . . . . . ethical questions, not
2. wait b. and hard

\
medical questions.
3. black c. and far between
7. Finding an organ donor used to be more
4. leaps d. and bounds
difficult, but the situation has improved by
5. in this day e. and white ......................
6. few f. and foremost 8. People are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . of being
7.
8. think
first long ,g. and tired pushed around by debt collectors.
h. and see

Discussion
Answer these questions in pairs or small
groups:
1. Do you think one day doctors will be
shopping for organs on the internet?
Is there anything wrong with selling
organs?
2. Would you mind having your body cut up
for the sake of science after you die?
Would you put a limit on what they can
take?
3. What would you tell a person who is
considering becoming an organ donor? "This is the worst part of the job - having
What would you say to encourage or to clear up after a Rugby International!"
discourage herlhim?
4. How do you feel about using animal organs in human beings? How about using a monkey's heart?
Would you like the eyes of a pig?
5. Many people don't have the time or just can't be bothered to get an organ donor card. Some
countries want a new system where doctors automatically have permission to take your organs
unless you have a card which says that you are not an organ donor. A system like this one could
simplify and speed things up at hospitals and save lives. Would you be in favour of a system like
this?

Taboos and Issues The sale of human organs 18

You might also like