Localised medical moralities: organ trafficking and Israeli medical professionals

Abstract

ABSTRACT Organ trafficking is widely recognised as a human rights concern. Medical professionals play a decisive role in bringing international norms regarding organ trafficking into the local context as translators and localisers. In Israel, this localisation reflects the tensions and gaps between global and local values, moralities and beliefs. Based on in-depth interviews with 92 stakeholders, this article examines the Israeli medical professionals’ approach toward organ trafficking, the moral conflicts, challenges and dilemmas they faced given these tensions and gaps, and their attempts to address them in practice. The findings reveal that many Israeli healthcare professionals subscribed to an ambivalent stance on organ trafficking and a non-judgmental approach towards patients who engage in organ trafficking, preferring to turn a blind eye to this phenomenon. They internalised key aspects of the deeply rooted local ethical perceptions regarding organ trafficking. This internalisation points to the limitations of translators' freedom of operation between transnational and domestic languages. Localisation is not merely a result of pragmatic compromises but stems from the localisers' identification with local moralities. This study contributes to understanding the role of professionals in processes of societal change and the complex ramifications of this role.