History Main / OrganTheft

* This happens to PluckyGirl Sakura Tomoe in an early episode of ''WeissKreuz''. Because this is ''WeissKreuz'', though, it isn't a bathtub that she wakes up in, it's an entire <i>swimming pool</i> full of ice. Unfortunately for her, the organ thieves in question later decide they're [[IncrediblyLamePun tired of doing things by halves]].

* This happens to PluckyGirl Sakura Tomoe in an early episode of ''WeissKreuz''. Unfortunately for her, the organ thieves in question later decide they're [[IncrediblyLamePun tired of doing things by halves]].

** And despite the stated cost of the organs, [[WallBanger the guys who go to recollect]] ''[[WallBanger shoot to kill]].''

* In the ''MenInBlack'' cartoon, one episode dealt with an alien that stole another alien's heart without leaving a trace. The victim was didn't die as his species has two hearts and can live just fine without one, leading J to think that there's no problem. K quickly corrects him:
-->'''K:''' You have ten toes. If woke up one morning with one missing, how would you feel?

* Played for laughs in CallMeFitz.

[[caption-width:400:Dammit, that's the second time this... [[OhCrap Wait a minute]].]]

* Largely averted in reality, as stealing organs from unwilling sources is a great way to afflict your intended recipients with HIV, hepatitis, or other ailments. Illegal and/or for-profit kidney sales do happen in reality, but generally with the donors' willing participation.\

* A two-part ''JSA:Classified'' story arc with Dr. Midnite featured a villain harvesting super-powered body parts to sell to wealthy patrons in the black market. The gruesome part is that the heroes whose body parts were stolen are often left alive after the procedure and basically crippled.
* Organ theft (AKA "Organleggers") was a common crime in the original ''Marvel 2099'' comic book line whose victims could not afford to pay for police protection.

* After the events of Ultimatium in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, SHIELD stole the corpse of Wolverine in order to clone him.

* The horror film ''The Harvest'' centers around kidney theft.

* ''Dirty Pretty Things'': the entire film revolves around illegal migrants yielding to terrible pressure and selling their kidneys to an organlegging outfit. The film ends with the protagonists stealing a kidney from the BigBad who is running the operation operation. As you can see, this film has the trope all sewn up in a back room.

* Does "TheHumanCentipede" count in this trope? [[spoiler: Technically, ALL of their organs were stolen and their bodies (most significantly their digestive tracts) were grafted together.]]
* In Robocop, the OCP Corporation owns the cadavers of their employees (even if the employee is not quire dead yet).
* There was this one Brazillian film called "Central Station" about this one retired schoolteacher who was offered $1,500 if she could persuade this one boy to go along with some organleggers.

* {{Unwind}} takes this to a new level- not only is the process ''legal'', it's used as a way to get rid of unwanted children.

* In the ''CSI Trilogy'' crossover storyline, young women were abducted and smuggled cross-country by a network of criminal truckers. While most were forced into prostitution, those girls who fought back against their captors became salable body parts.
* An episode of ''Las Vegas'' had a guest at the Montecito claim this had happened to him. He had a fresh scar and X-Rays revealed he was short one kidney. It turns out that his kidney had been removed by a doctor (for legitimate reasons) and he was trying to extort money from the casino.

* The game ''Headhunter'' was set in a world where the organ market is very profitable. Weapons are designed so they don't damage the target's precious organs. There was a massive black market of organs. The player gets to explore the cargo-ship which is the centre of the operation.

* {{Christopher Moore}}'s ''Island of the Sequined Love Nun'' has two {{Big Bad}}s convincing an entire island full of people that they are the personification of the local's cargo cult gods. It turns out they have an entire database composed of the native's medical information and are running an on-demand black organ market, harvesting (among other things) kidneys, hearts and corneas.

* There was this one Brazillian film about this one retired schoolteacher who was offered $1,500 if she could persuade this one boy to go along with some organleggers.

* Largely averted in reality, as stealing organs from unwilling sources is a great way to afflict your intended recipients with HIV, hepatitis, or other ailments. Illegal and/or for-profit kidney sales do happen in reality, but generally with the donors' willing participation.

OrganTheft, as the name would imply, is the practice of stealing people's organs via surgery, which can then be used for further purposes such as transplants or sold on the black market[[hottip:*:Yes, there's a black market for organs, because legitimate doctors (and, for that matter, [[strike:government]] lawyers) are way too {{Squick}}ed out by the idea of selling organs to even ''consider'' doing it or allowing it to happen. Never mind that the demand for organs is shockingly high, and sadly, some people need money more than they need their organs. Which is why said black market ''exists'' in the first place.]] One particularly common variant of this is trope is the "[[http://www.snopes.com/horrors/robbery/kidney.asp kidney theft]]" UrbanLegend, in which the victim is conned somehow and drugged into unconsciousness, and then wakes up kidney-less in a bathtub full of ice, often with a message attached telling them to go to a hospital.

OrganTheft, as the name would imply, is the practice of stealing people's organs via surgery, which can then be used for further purposes such as transplants or sold on the black market[[hottip:*:Yes, there's a black market for organs, because legitimate doctors (and, for that matter, [[strike:government]] lawyers) are way too {{Squick}}ed out by the idea of selling organs to even ''consider'' doing it or allowing it to happen. Never mind that the demand for organs is shockingly high, and sadly, some people need money more than they need their organs. Which is why said black market ''exists'' in the first place.]] One particularly common variant of this is trope is the "[[http://www.snopes.com/horrors/robbery/kidney.asp kidney theft]]" UrbanLegend, in which the victim is conned and drugged into unconsciousness, and then wakes up kidney-less in a bathtub full of ice, often with a message attached telling them to go to a hospital.

OrganTheft, as the name would imply, is the practice of stealing people's organs via surgery, which can then be used for further purposes such as transplants or sold on the black market[[hottip:Yes, there's a black market for organs, because legitimate doctors (and, for that matter, [[strike:government]] lawyers) are way too {{Squick}}ed out by the idea of selling organs to even ''consider'' doing it or allowing it to happen. Never mind that the demand for organs is shockingly high, and sadly, some people need money more than they need their organs. Which is why said black market ''exists'' in the first place.]] One particularly common variant of this is trope is the "[[http://www.snopes.com/horrors/robbery/kidney.asp kidney theft]]" UrbanLegend, in which the victim is conned and drugged into unconsciousness, and then wakes up kidney-less in a bathtub full of ice, often with a message attached telling them to go to a hospital.

OrganTheft, as the name would imply, is the practice of stealing people's organs via surgery, which can then be used for further purposes such as transplants or sold on the black market. One particularly common variant of this is trope is the "[[http://www.snopes.com/horrors/robbery/kidney.asp kidney theft]]" UrbanLegend, in which the victim wakes up kidney-less in a bathtub full of ice, often with a message attached telling them to go to a hospital.

[[caption-width:400:Dammit, that's the second time this... [[OhShit Wait a minute]].]]

* A two-part JSA:Classified story arc with Dr. Midnite featured a villain harvesting super-powered body parts to sell to wealthy patrons in the black market. The gruesome part is that the heroes whose body parts were stolen are often left alive after the procedure and basically crippled.
* Organ theft (AKA "Organleggers") was a common crime in the original Marvel 2099 comic book line whose victims could not afford to pay for police protection.
* In Mega-City One of the Judge Dredd comic books, organ transplantation is illegal because it advanced to the point where it could render an individual immortal. Organ selling is a prevalent crime throughout Mega-City One.

* In Black Panther 5, it is revealed that the US Army turns fallen soldiers into cyber-zombies.

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* A two part ''{{Daredevil}}'' storyline revolved around OrganTheft. In the [[ThatGuyWithTheGlasses Linkara]] review, he points out the impracticalities of OrganTheft as opposed to the organs being taken voluntarily.

* Grant Morrison's run featured a group of villains known as the U-Men, humans with a ''major'' fanboy affection for mutants... which drove them to "jump up the evolutionary ladder" by hijacking their superpower oriented organs. This often left the mutants dead, and occasionally led to the U-Men suffering organ rejection.