Organ Theft Legends

Starting with the legend known as "The Kidney Heist," we embark on a conversation about the realities of organ trafficking. In this legend, a man meets a woman at a bar and accompanies her to her hotel room, only to wake up missing his kidneys. What's the truth behind this legend? Along the way we cover everything from cattle mutilations, the definition of life, and the fact that you really CAN buy everything on Craig's List.

Sources:

Brickwood, Becky. 2020. “Forced Organ Harvesting: ‘This Is Beyond Understanding.’” Health Europa (blog). January 27, 2020. https://www.healtheuropa.eu/forced-organ-harvesting-this-is-beyond-understanding/96933/.

Campion-Vincent, Véronique. 2002. “Organ Theft Narratives as Medical and Social Critique.” Journal of Folklore Research 39 (1): 33–50.

Coffman, Keith. 2020. “Colorado Funeral Home Operators Indicted for Illegally Selling Body Parts.” Reuters, March 18, 2020. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-bodies-idUSKBN21509C.

Kish, Phillip. 2018. “Mother of Model Whose Body Was Found without Organs Still Seeks Answers.” Wusa9.Com. December 28, 2018. https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/nation-world/mother-of-model-whose-body-was-found-without-organs-still-seeks-answers/507-625177206.

Smith, Saphora. 2019. “China Forcefully Harvests Organs from Detainees, Tribunal Concludes.” NBC News. June 18, 2019. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-forcefully-harvests-organs-detainees-tribunal-concludes-n1018646.

Staff, DecodingScience. 2019. “Organ Harvesting, Human Trafficking, and the Black Market.” Decoded Science (blog). November 12, 2019. https://decodedscience.org/organ-harvesting-human-trafficking-and-the-black-market/.

Thompson, Don. 2015. “NorCal Inmate Was Cut Nearly in Two, Organs Missing.” KCRA. July 11, 2015. https://www.kcra.com/article/norcal-inmate-was-cut-nearly-in-two-organs-missing/6423766.

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