It's Time for Organ FarmingCurrently 70,000 Americans are on the waiting list for organs, and fewer than 20,000 of these people can hope to save their lives through organ transplants human organs.1 Consequently Due to this shortage, there has been a huge demand for research into alternative methods of organ transplantation. Private companies are racing to develop these technologies with an estimated market of six billion dollars.2 Xenotransplantation, or cross-species organ transplantation, seems to be the most likely solution in the near future, and cloned pigs are the leading candidates. Pigs and humans have remarkable physiological similarities, which, combined with cloning, makes pigs excellent possibilities for organ donors. A controversial alternative method involves using genetically engineered headless humans as organ donors. While this method may not be developed for a few years, scientists are already discussing the necessary technologies. Whether the solution is cloning a pig or a human, organ farming can provide us with a solution to our ever-growing need for donors. The theory behind transplanting pig organs into humans is relatively simple. Humans and pigs have such similar physiology that the transplanted organs would behave in humans the same way they behave in pigs. After the operation it is sufficient to suppress the immune system to avoid rejection of the organ. In fact, transplanted livers from pigs are already being used as temporary solutions for many people waiting for human donors.3 Unfortunately, “temporary” is the key word here. Porcine cells contain a sugar not found in human cells, which the immune system instantly recognizes and attacks in what is called... middle of paper...oukl, R., "Babies as Organ Farms", Comment on Stand to Reason, January 16, 1996. Krauthammer, C., “Of Headless Mice…And Men,” TIME, January 19, 1998. Roth, R., “Some Pigs!” CBS News, March 16, 2000. Tangley, “The Dangers and Promise of Xena,” U.S. News & World Report, August 28, 2000, 48. Weiss, R., “In Organ Quest, Cloning Pigs May Be the Easy Part,” Washington Post, March 20, 2000. InternetBonner, John. "Human", Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2001.http://encarta.msn.com. 1997-2000. Microsoft Corporation Dixon, Patrick. “Headless Human Clones Will Grow Organs in 10 Years.”www.globalchange.com/frogs.htm, October 19, 1997.CNN. “Researchers Clone Pigs,” www.Cnn.com, August 16, 2000.NBC. “Cloned pigs could produce organ farms,” www.MSNBC.com. August 16, 2000.