East Germany sold sick to West for pharmaceutical testing

myp · Dec 9, 2012

Quite interesting as are so many things in that East v. West Germany dynamic. A relatively homogeneous populations split into two and dragged down almost polar opposite paths. An alien observer might have thought it was an experiment.

http://www.thelocal.de/national/201...(none)&__utmv=-&__utmk=112684676#.UL4jSNeKySp

David · Dec 9, 2012

Germany's split had massive cultural influence. The 2 sides don't even consider themselves the same sort of German, I've heard serious talk of the East going it's own way (though I see Catalina/Aragon happening as the more plausible scenario).

ThirdTerm · Dec 11, 2012

That is a reminder of atrocities committed by Nazi Germany and the people are reduced to numbers in any totalitarian system under which the state has the near-absolute power to control private citizens' lives and Communist China was known to engage in organ trafficking until it's finally outlawed in 2007 but the illegal trade continues to boom due to a shortage of kidneys for organ transplants.

myp · Dec 11, 2012

ThirdTerm, you bring up some interesting points, but I wonder how the people who were "sold" felt about it at the time knowing what they knew. After all, they got to go to the West and were (to their knowledge) given drugs for their sicknesses. Also, how much of the foul play that happened falls on the West's shoulders for buying them and subsequently in some cases not treating them right?

As for the organ trade, I personally believe it should be legal to sell one's own kidneys (barring you have 2 functional kidneys). Making it legal would make it much more regulated, much safer, and wouldn't be tied to crime. At the same time, those who desperately need kidneys can get them easier.

East Germany sold sick to West for pharmaceutical testing

myp

David

ThirdTerm

myp

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