I was always aware of the fact that there was a black market for organs around the world, but I don't think I ever realize how large that market was. Watching Underworld Inc.'s episode detailing the global trafficking of organs, it was mentioned that the black market for kidneys alone brings in over one billion dollars annually. While the numbers are alarming, it is most striking to me that these people that engage in illegal organ transplants are only doing it as a means to survival. In the United States, it is not entirely uncommon for someone to donate an organ to a loved one if they are having some sort of medical issues. But worldwide, the case is not the same. Donors come from impoverished families and areas of the world, only to have their kidneys removed and donated to a wealthy individual with whom they will never make contact with. The entire concept is wildly inconceivable; people become so desperate and have no other source of income, so their only solution is to donate an organ for a fraction of what it is actually worth, in hopes to get back on their feet. The network of organ hunters look to people who are vulnerable but healthy, and attempt to get them to agree to the transplant.  

Knowing how the black market of organs works now makes me vastly more aware of health inequalities world wide. Access to health care and legal transplants in some countries is nonexistent, which is why people go to such extreme measures to do so illegally. Being in a place where I am fortunate to never have to go to such lengths really expands my perspective on this topic. I realize from watching this documentary that many inequalities are comorbid with each other; where there is one, there are many. In this case, there is a sort of health inequality, which is a result of economic inequality. So many people turn to the black market of organs in order to pay off debts or provide for their families, and if there was a smaller gap in wealth and income inequality, these problems would be alleviated to some extent.