The rise and decline of Israel’s participation in the global organ trade: causes and lessons

Why would a country choose to actively take part in the illicit organ trade, and later reverse course and cease that participation? The article answers this question with respect to Israel, where patients in need of a transplant received public funds to allow them to purchase organs abroad. I argue that the Israeli policy of financing “transplant tourism” resulted from the pleas of desperate patients facing a local organ shortage, combined with cost-saving considerations. Yet pressures from the Israeli and international medical community, together with media reports, led to a legislative prohibition on the trade in organs—a prohibition that has sharply reduced the outflow of patients. The article highlights the main influences that motivated Israel’s policy change, including concerns for the country’s international reputation, and offers lessons for other countries where organ trafficking flourishes.