Sci-fi author Larry Niven has written a number of stories partly exploring the "Ship of Theseus" idea extended to organ transplants and medicine. In one future

Sci-fi author Larry Niven has written a number of stories partly exploring the "Ship of Theseus" idea extended to organ transplants and medicine. In one future from Larry Niven's Sci-fi stories, organ transplants could cure almost anything and even extend life. As a result, more and more criminal infractions started to carry the death penalty, in indirect response to the demand for more organs. Such a process would be easier to initiate in a government structure like China's, where there are fewer powerful means of ensuring government accountability, and where individual rights are not enshrined. The current climate in 2019 in the West, where mob rule can result in trial by social media, is also concerning in relation to this scenario.