The Social Construction of Moral Perceptions and Public Policies Concerning Organ Trafficking in Israel1,2

Abstract

This article examines the sociocultural construction of the local moralities, practices, and public policies regarding the purchase, sale, and brokering of organs. Based on ethnographic study of the case of Israel, where the prevailing moral perceptions and public policies have been relatively tolerant toward the purchase and sale of organs, the article proposes a model of four main sources of justification underlying these perceptions and policies: (1) Deeply held religious views on ethics, social relations, and the body. (2) Philosophical approaches to moral dilemmas, particularly deontological versus utilitarian approaches. (3) The human rights discourse in its transnational, as well as localized, versions, and (4) socioeconomic worldviews such as liberalism, neoliberalism, and conceptions of individual autonomy. Each of these four discourses is weighted differently, depending on the context, and interacts with the other discourses. This process shapes the way in which international ethical norms are implemented, rejected, or adapted and translated into local meanings and institutions. The article offers a multi‐faceted explication of why translation occurs, especially in the framework of international human rights norms related to health and medicine, which have not been adequately addressed in prior research. The findings contribute to explaining how “ethical variability” is formed in practice.