There was a news report today about how there are no mandated checks on importing human ova.
The report compared it to importing of chicken eggs and how there are strict standards and requirements to bring in eggs from other countries, but that human eggs can be brought in without having to pass any sort of examinations or testing. It also compared it to human sperm which requires testing for diseases and such before being allowed to be imported.
The general tone of the report was that of bewildered outrage and concert as well as an implication that it should be required that human ova pass tests to be imported. Unfortunately the report is completely misplaced. The testing should be incumbent on the recipient, not the sender. If you are concerned about transplant parts being diseased or otherwise no good, then why not just have the recipient do the testing and simply “chuck it out” if it’s not up to par? If you were going to be receiving a transplant of questionable origin, then would you not test it yourself, or would you just trust their word that it’s good?
When you bring old junk into a pawn-shop, you can swear that the item is not fake and that you did research and had it authenticated until you’re blue in the face, but the pawn-shop owner will still do their own testing. How in the world are body parts any less important that the recipient wouldn’t bother to test for themselves?
The only rational reason for requiring the donating parties do the testing is if the recipient is unable to do the testing, but for most transplantable parts, this is not an issue.