The advancement of medicine in the twentieth century has made it possible to extend or save human life through transplants of organs that are crucial to survival, such as the heart or the kidneys, which very quickly dominated the “transplantation market”. At the same time, these new opportunities in the field of medicine have given rise to the problem of obtaining organs for transplantation. Unlike the heart, the sources of kidneys for transplantation are more diverse if only because they are paired organs and one is enough to sustain vital functions, hence it is possible to donate the other for transplantation. Consequently, the problem of kidney procurement has contributed to a number of social, legal and ethical dilemmas and has created an area for potential abuse and uncertainty. This situation prompted individual states and organisations to develop appropriate legal and ethical regulations, albeit these display different approaches and solutions. Of particular interest are the solutions adopted in Poland and other European countries, as well as in Iran, whilst the organ harvesting practices in China or India may cause serious concern.

Key words: organ procurement, kidney transplantation, legislation for transplantation, ethical and social aspects.