European kidneys for sale as recession bites in Spain

A MACABRE traffic associated with poor countries in Asia and Latin America has sprung up for the first time in Europe as the economic crisis reduces Spaniards to selling their organs to "transplant tourists".

Spanish "kidney for sale" advertisements have proliferated recently on the internet as people struggle to make ends meet in a country whose 17 per cent jobless rate is Europe's highest.

Sergio, 42, a welder and father of four, said he had received an offer of $40,000 from a German couple who needed his kidney for their five-year-old son. If tests show them to be compatible, an operation would be performed in a "third country" since such transactions are illegal in Europe.

"Apparently, there's a waiting list of at least five years for a kidney in Germany," he told a television program, "but in five years the kid will be dead."

Just to advertise a human organ for sale is illegal in Spain and other sellers sounded nervous when contacted.

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[link to www.theaustralian.news.com.au]

Last Edited by Account Deleted by User on 09/02/2011 09:07 PM